Beautiful Disaster
by Bellajewels
Summary: Story covers all steps of their friendship and romance.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fan fiction that I've ever made public. So please give reviews but keep them nice. I'm all for constructive criticism but be nice.

One more rose petal fell into the vase by her bed and she stared blankly into the distance. The snow blanketed the ground but now it was just one more painful memory. Every day for nearly forty days she had put a petal into the vase, signifying the number of days since her sister had left this Earth. Dark circles were beginning to form beneath her eyes because she couldn't sleep at night. It had gotten even worse since Cooper's death. She wanted so badly to believe that he was innocent of the heinous crimes he'd been accused of but she wasn't blind. The evidence was stacked against him and his apparent suicide didn't make him look any better. But she had an advantage over the police. She had Damian Spinelli on her side, helping her find the person who had killed Georgie. He believed it could have been Cooper but he also believed that it could not have been too. That's all she needed. Someone to believe that there was the possibility that the text message killer was still on the loose. Her attention moved back to her window as her eyes settled on the docks. She watched as people walked past the water and saw them stop to talk a couple of times. She used to love the docks back when Georgie was still alive. They would go to the docks and talk about their day before going off in their separate directions. As they got older that tradition stopped. Georgie had Dillon, and Maxie had whatever guy had her attention at that particular moment. They grew up and they grew apart. Georgie always had her back though and now she realized that she was just looking out for her when she suggested the possibility of Cooper being the text message killer. At that moment in time though it had felt like an attack on the man she loved. Now she regretted her reaction to her sisters concern. If she had realized then that it would be their last conversation she would have told Georgie how much she loved her, rather than accuse her of just being jealous of what she had with Coop. She would have hugged her rather than yell at her, but it was too late for all that now. For the rest of her life she was going to have to deal with the reality that the last words she said to her sister had been hateful. It made her sick every time she thought about it. After a few more minutes of staring out the window Maxie grabbed her coat off the bed and walked out the door.

* * *

Maxie walked briskly in the winter air. Somehow winter in upstate New York seemed colder this year, even though the weatherman was saying that it was warmer than it had been the year before. Everything always felt colder now. As she made her way she thought about all the people she had loved that were gone now. Her mom and dad had left her, Jesse was gone, Lucky left her, and now Georgie and Cooper were gone too. She couldn't help but feel as if somehow she'd been cursed. The people she loved were always going to either leave her or die. She felt as if love would never be hers. She stopped as she arrived at the entrance of the Port Charles Cemetary. For only being twenty one years old she had spent far too much time in this place. She had buried an uncle, two boyfriends, and a sister all in three years time. She walked among the headstones and felt at home. More at home here then she did anywhere else. This is where the people who loved her were. Where they all ended up. She was about to round the stone wall that was near Georgie's grave when she heard someone speaking. She peaked her head around the wall and saw Spinelli, a bouquet of white carnations laying on the ground in front of him, talking to Georgie. She knew that she should walk away but she wanted to hear what he was talking to her sister about. "The Jackal is working with your sister, the snarky sibling, to find out who killed you. I promise I will not let the demented evildoer that took your light from the world walk free." He took a breath and then Maxie saw him do something she had never seen him do. He stopped the Spinelli-speak and just talked to her sisters headstone. "Georgie, I feel as if the light has been taken from this planet. Not just you being gone but all the darkness that has filled this town recently. Stonecold is hard and distant. He rarely comes home and when he does it seems like he's just waiting for the opportunity to leave again. I wonder if I've done something to anger him. And then there's the blonde one. I've finally come to realize, too late, that she was never the one that I needed. I may have believed she was but I was wrong. It was you that wanted me for me. I was always just her information superhighway or her sounding board. I would love to still be friends with her but at times it seems as though she only thinks of The Jackal when I can assist her in some way. At least with the bad blonde one I know where I stand. At least I used to. Now that you're gone and the clean cut cadet is gone your snarky sister has come to depend on me. Can I tell you a secret faithful friend?" He paused as if the headstone was going to speak back and when it didn't he simply lowered his head. Maxie realized at that moment that Spinelli was indeed grieving the loss of her sister in a big way. Still she didn't come out of her hiding place. Instead she waited for him to continue speaking. "I don't mind your snarky sister leaning on me. It's nice to feel needed and it makes me feel as though I have someone to share my loss with. The blonde one never really acknowledged that I had lost you as well. I guess I don't know why I expected her to." At that moment Maxie stepped around the wall and walked up behind him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and felt him jump just a little bit. "Spinelli, it's okay. It's just me. I guess we had the same idea huh? Come visit Georgie."

"I find myself visiting my faithful friend more often than maybe I should."

"I know. I feel drawn to the cemetary. Most of my loved ones are here. Family, and friends." He looked at her as if he didn't really understand what she was saying. "Most people that I love end up here sooner than they normally would. Horrible deaths too." She took his hand and led him a few headstones away. "This is my cousin B.J. She's the reason I'm alive."

"Bad blonde…"

"Could you not call me that today. I'm not really that bad. I'm just not all sugar and spice and everything nice. Now listen up."

"I was just going to say you don't have to tell me anything."

"You said to Georgie that you don't mind me leaning on you. So let me lean." He fell silent and watched as she ran her fingertips lightly along the top of the headstone. She picked up a little snow and rubbed it between her fingers before dropping it to the ground. He thought that she was done talking and then he saw her take a step forward. "B.J. was a good girl. A good daughter. She had so much potential. All she did was get on the bus to go to school. I'm not really clear on the specifics. I was in the hospital with a heart condition. I needed a heart transplant or else I was going to die. Somehow B.J.'s bus flipped over and she was killed. My Uncle Tony and Aunt Bobbie gave me her heart. I never really learned how to deal with that. Having someone else's heart beating in my chest. It felt wrong, it felt wicked. I had taken something essential from someone I loved. People blamed Carly for breaking up Tony and Bobbie's marriage ending but it was me. If I hadn't taken her heart…"

"Someone else would have. It's not like you caused the bus accident. You couldn't have saved her. Someone else would have lived with her heart and you would be dead."

"That someone else probably would have taken care of it better. I've done ridiculous things with it. Got it broken more than once." She didn't want to continue to talk about her heart transplant so she took his hand and led him to the next grave. "This was my Uncle Tony. He died a couple years ago during a virus outbreak. You should have seen it. There was this monkey running around and we found out that's how practically the whole town got infected."

"A monkey?"

"Yeah, if you can believe that. Uncle Tony was a good guy. He convinced Aunt Bobbie to give me B.J.'s heart. I don't know that she would have made that decision without him there telling her that B.J. wasn't coming back. He went through a lot of hard times in his life but all in all he was a good guy. Flawed at times just like everyone else but a good man. I got the anecdote and he didn't. My heart had nearly failed the year before and I was about to die but I was okay with that. I'd come so close before that I was ready this time. But they gave the anecdote to me and not to him. His son lost his father and I'm still here. Just taking up space." He looked like he was about to say something but resisted the urge. It occurred to him that she wasn't really talking to him anymore. He was just there, watching her sink deeper into the darkness he had felt enveloping him earlier. She walked in front of him, not taking his hand but knowing he would follow her, to the next grave. "This is Jesse. I was in the hospital after a heart attack when I met him." He noticed that she had tears on her face but he could hardly hear them in her voice as she spoke. "He bolted in my room hiding from the police. When I woke up he said he knew that I would have the bluest eyes he'd ever seen. He told me about how he was on the run because he'd been framed for a crime he didn't commit. I don't know why I believed him but I did. I ended up on the run with him. Eventually he was cleared and he tried to push me away but I wouldn't go. I'm a little stubborn." Spinelli couldn't resist the urge to laugh at that understatement. She was so stubborn that she would ruin a perfectly good relationship just to get a little revenge. "He almost died in the virus too but we both survived. I thought that that meant something but it didn't. It was just a couple months later that he died."

"How?"

"We were at the fair. It was one of those scene from the movie type nights. He won stuffed animals and we walked hand in hand in the lights. There were bad parts. I got in a fight with Diego. Then out of nowhere there was gunfire. It's all kind of a blur but when I got to him his head was bleeding. When we got to the hospital Patrick Drake operated on his but the damage was too bad. I made the decisions this time."

"What do you mean?"

"When I was kid my Uncle Tony and Aunt Bobbie made the decision to give B.J.'s heart to me and with Jesse it came full circle. He didn't have any family. The only family he ever told me about really was his brother and he was dead. He had a sister too but I wasn't sure where to find her. So I was basically the next of kin. I gave them authorization to take him off life support and signed the forms to donate his organs. Karma sucks. I took someone else's so the universe was going to take someone I love's. And I did love him. I planned the funeral, it was a police officers funeral and all that entails. Taps and the folding of the flag. Everyone thought I should keep the flag from his casket somewhere sacred but I have it in a box in the back of my closet. It's duct taped shut because I don't ever want to see that flag again. Not the one off his casket. I went to the bar after the funeral and Nikolas Cassadine showed up. He told the bartender he should have carded me which I so didn't understand. I made all these life altering decisions. I put the man I loved in the ground but I couldn't have a drink. I just spiraled from there. The nightmares were so bad. I couldn't sleep at night so I ended up spending most of my time at after hours clubs. That's how I ended up with Lucky. I lost the person I loved and I was just in free fall. He came along and he needed the pills. He said he was in pain and I understood that. I lived with it and I hated it. So I got him what he needed. It started just as me helping a friend get through some rough spots, then I realized that I could use the pills to make him be with me. I wanted someone to love me so I used what I had. I will never pretend that what I did wasn't wrong. It was so wrong and when he didn't want me or the pills anymore I got reckless. But you know all this. Lulu's told you."

"The blonde one has told me of the bad blonde one's misdeeds. But if you want to tell me how it happened for you that's okay. The blonde one wasn't actually there so her thoughts might not be accurate."

"They're probably pretty right on. After Lucky told me I couldn't move in with him because he didn't love me I went home and took a handful of pills and called him. I never planned on taking so many that I would kill myself but he and Diego showed up and took me to Mercy Hospital. They pumped my stomach and I ended up going into cardiac arrest. You would think that would be enough. That I would be done but I wasn't. I made up a pregnancy to get him to stay with me and then I faked a miscarriage. Lucky has every right to hate me but I've apologized to him. He's forgiven me. I don't care about Lulu but it seems to me if Georgie could forgive her for what she did and Lucky could forgive me for what I did then maybe it's time for Lulu to get over it already. Since it really had nothing to do with her. But then everything in the world revolves around Lulu right? Don't answer that." For a moment Spinelli saw a flash of the bad blonde one that he knew, rather than this broken young woman he'd been seeing for the past few weeks. He had to admit that he missed the spark that he had always seen in her eyes. A glint of mischieviousness. It had gone out when Georgie died. "Is that the end of the dead people tour?"

"You knew the others. Georgie and Cooper." She ran her hands over her face and pulled a hair tie off her wrist. She pulled her short blonde hair into a small ponytail and stared at Spinelli. It was as if she was trying to figure him out. Trying to figure out who he was and how he fit into her world. For some reason she didn't see him disappearing into the background of her life. He gave her the sense that he would be there always. He was a connection to Georgie, another person who understood what it was like to lose something so pure. "Spinelli, want to come back to my house and watch a movie? Mac is at the station so we'd have the house to ourselves. I think Georgie told me your favorite food is barbeque chips and your favorite drink is orange soda. We can stop and pick those up, rent a movie and just hang out." Spinelli was taken aback at her request and wasn't sure how to respond. He liked having her lean on him but he wasn't sure that he was ready to start hanging out like they were the best of friends. "It's just a movie Spinelli. In case you hadn't noticed besides Sam you're my only friend. Sam's a little bit preoccupied, having been the victim of a hit and run, to have a girls night in with me. So that leaves you. I'm not asking you to marry me, at least not tonight. I might decide we should pull a Britney and hit Vegas and then get an annullment like a day later. Just for fun." Finally he was seeing the slightest spark in her eyes again which made the decision for him.

This chapter was kind of sad and dark so I promise the next one will be a lighter.


	2. Chapter 2

The walls of the video store were lined with new releases and it occurred to both Maxie and Spinelli that their taste in movies was probably very different. As they walked through the store though they were shocked to find that they had more in common than they initially imagined. Within fifteen minutes they had found two movies that they could agree on. Across the Universe and Titanic. It had a huge cheese factor but it was one of both of their favorite movies. He loved the history of it and she loved the romantic story. It made the perfect choice. They stopped at the local Quick-Mart and picked up some barbeque chips and orange soda before heading back to the police commissioners home. Once they arrived Maxie began going up the steps. "Um excuse me Bad Blonde One but why are we going upstairs? Can't we watch the movies in your living room?"

"We could but then I wouldn't have my bed to curl up on and my blankets to snuggle under. You really are terrified that I'm going going to put the moves on you. Well you can rest easy Spinelli. I'm not going to try and take advantage of you. You're not my type and I'm not one for sloppy seconds."

"What do you mean sloppy seconds? Surely you can't be suggesting that I'm somehow tainted because Fair Georgie had feelings for me?"

"No, I'm suggesting that you're somehow tainted because you've had feelings for Lulu and I don't need another go round with one of her many admirers. I'll never understand how that girl, who rarely shows any interest in anything that doesn't directly pertain to her wants and needs, can inspire such devotion from the men in this town. She bewitches everyone. Dillon, Milo, Logan, Johnny and you. Not to mention the men who aren't interested in her romantically but still seem to be wrapped around her little finger like Sonny and Jason. I mean seriously, what is so great about her?"

"I suppose at some point I could have extolled an extensive list of the Blonde One's virtues but it seems that the Jackal may have been wrong about the Blonde One. It seems the Jackal may have been wrong about a lot of things." He didn't say anything else. Instead he just followed her up the stairs to her bedroom. He'd been in Fair Georgie's bedroom with her before but he had never seen the Bad Blonde One's abode. As he stepped in he felt like he got to know her a little better. It was a lot of bright colors but he could see signs of a romantic in the room as well. Dried roses on the dresser and a photo of her and the Clean Cut Cadet on the bedstand next to her bed. He had no doubt that this was a girl that had a scrapbook of their relationship somewhere but it was hidden so no one would find it. "Your room is very nice. Much nicer than my own regrettably pink room."

"Are you saying your bedroom is _pink_?"

"Unfortunately yes. The former Mrs. Stone Cold had painted it pink and Stone Cold and Fair Samantha kept it pink for when her child was born. The baby didn't live but the room stayed pink. I haven't had the heart to ask Stone Cold to let the Jackal redecorate in a way more befitting a man of my, well, manliness. " She chuckled just a little when he mentioned his manliness but stopped when she saw a brief flicker of sadness flash across his face. She remembered a conversation she and Georgie had had about him a few months back. Georgie had come home sad for Spinelli because he seemed to feel inadequate. He was wanting her to show him how to use a gun because he felt like he wasn't man enough without it. Now that Maxie remembered that she felt bad for laughing about him feeling his room wasn't manly enough for him. "I'll tell you what. If you ask Jason if you can redecorate your bedroom I'll come over and help you. We can pick out paint and furniture together. I've got a bit of an eye for interior design. I'll help you make it into a man's paradise." He wasn't really sure of what to say to her so he just popped Titanic in the DVD player and sat on the edge of her bed. "If you're going to insist on sitting like that you're not going to be able to enjoy the movie. If you're really that uncomfortable pull the futon over here. You can leave it sitting up or you can lay it out into a bed." He could tell that he was hurting her by seeming as if he were so afraid she was going to put the moves on him. In reality he couldn't figure out why the thought terrified him so. Maybe because a part of him felt that if she were to ever be interested in him it woud have to be some kind of cruel joke. A girl like that would never be interested in him. He had learned that the hard way with Lulu. He had fallen for the prima donna and never realized that the girl next door had loved him all along. He didn't want to make that kind of mistake again. A girl like Maxie Jones would never want to be with him without having some kind of motive and he wasn't willing to open himself up to the kind of pain he'd experienced when he finally came to terms with the fact that Lulu would never want him. "No, it's okay. I'll sit on the bed with you. I just feel a little out of place here. I mean this is your space, this is where the Bad Blonde One became who she is now."

"You don't know how true that statement is." She didn't expound on the statement and he didn't ask any more questions. She loved her room but bad things had happened to her there and she had used that room to grieve for the bad things that had happened outside of it. It had been her sanctuary and her prison all at once. "Look Spinelli. I know we're not really friends. We don't really know each other all that well. But we both lost Georgie and right now you're the only person that knows how I feel. After losing Coop I just need someone to lean on and feel safe with. I don't know why but I feel safe with you."

"The Bad Blonde One flatters me but I don't know why you would feel safe with me. Your departed detective, the clean cut cadet, the crabby commando… they all could keep you safe far more than the Jackal ever could."

"You're right and you're wrong. Jesse and Cooper and Logan could all keep me safe physically. They were big, strong men. Jesse was a cop and Cooper and Logan were both soldiers. They could keep me from harm physically but emotionally I was never safe with them."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean with Jesse and Cooper I always had the thought that they could die in the line of duty looming over me. It wasn't enough to make me leave but I never felt completely at ease. Don't get me wrong. I loved them both but it was never something where I felt like my heart was completely safe in loving them. I was all too aware that they could be gone in the blink of an eye. Or in the pulling of a trigger. I never felt safe with Logan. Not once ever. He was just a means to an end. I for some reason felt the need to destroy my relationship with Cooper and he was there to help me. But he was a weapon for me and I never felt safe with it. You're different though. You don't yell at me and call me names. Well except for Bad Blonde One which is much less offensive than the things that Logan used to shout at me. You've never pushed me around and you're just a genuinely good guy. I mean yeah you're a little quirky but there's nothing wrong with that. The only issue that I have with you at this point is that you judged me without ever getting to know me. You took someone elses word for what a horrible person I was and never gave me a chance to prove otherwise." Spinelli hung his head low knowing that she was absolutely right. He'd been so enthralled by Lulu that if she said Maxie was bad she was bad. There was no question to it. "I did the things that Lulu said I did but I've made my peace with everyone except her. I can't just be the bad blonde one forever. There has to be growth. I just lost two more people that I love which has really driven it home that life is too short to be holding the kind of grudge that Lulu and I have been holding on to. I should have known that after all these years. These deaths weren't my first dalliances with the grim reaper. He's been trying to get me since I was six. I guess he just decided that I was a lost cause so he'd just take everyone that I care about." She looked at her hands that were plucking at a piece of fabric on her comforter. She was beginning to feel sad and that was what she was trying to escape. She didn't want to think about all her losses but she suddenly felt as if she should warn him. "You shouldn't get too attached to me Spinelli. Don't get too close. People I care about don't stay alive long. And if they don't die, they leave." She jumped out of bed and ran downstairs to the kitchen. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do but he didn't feel comfortable in her room without her. He left the bed and went down the steps. He expected to find her crying somewhere but instead he found her in the kitchen scooping ice cream into very large bowls. "What are you doing?"

"_We_ are having an ice cream sundae. What do you want on yours?"

"What do you have?"

"Everything. Chocolate syrup, whip cream, cherries, sprinkles, nuts. Anything you want we've got."

"I'll just take the chocolate, whip cream, cherries and sprinkles. The Jackal is allergic to nuts."

"I'm not allergic. I just really dislike them. In my opinion they all taste like dirt. You're not missing a thing." She put the cherries on top of the sundaes and handed him his bowl. "A good movie just doesn't work without an ice cream sundae or popcorn. Next time we'll have to see a movie in a theater so we can get that delicious movie theater popcorn. It's almost the only reason I actually go out to the movies anymore. If I really wanted to see the movies I could easliy just have you download them for me off the internet as soon as they come out."

"What makes you think I would do such an illegal task for you?" She batted her big blue eyes at him and pouted her lips. "Because I'm irresistable." He laughed at her comment and turned to go back upstairs with his ice cream. "Are you coming Maxie? The boat is just beginning to sink and that's my favorite part of the movie."

"Sure. I thought that Kate Winslet posing naked was your favorite part? You certainly looked like you liked it." His face turned bright red and he just stammered for a moment before finally giving up trying to speak and walked back up the stairs. Once he reached the top he called back down for her. "Come on slow poke."


	3. Chapter 3

Over the next few months Spinelli and Maxie spent a lot of time together watching movies, taking walks and just spending time together. It was comforting for her to be with someone who understood what she was going through and didn't judge her. Most people had come to the conclusion that Georgie and Coop had been gone for awhile so she should be done grieving. She wasn't. Not even close. Spinelli seemed to understand that without even asking. Sometimes when they were watching a movie he would watch her while she was enthralled in what was going on on-screen. Those moments her face stopped being so sad and instead radiated with a childlike wonder. She loved all types of films but she had an endearing fixation with childrens movies. She loved all things Disney and any movie with a G rating. It was so totally different than what he had ever expected from her. He had believed she was so hard but in reality she was just putting on a show for the outside world. Now he had a front row seat to the real Maxie and he loved it. "Wounded Blonde One, we need to go on a road trip."

"Yeah, where to?"

"I don't know. The Jackal can ask Stone Cold for one of his larger vehicles and we can just drive. A night on the town in Manhattan perhaps." She laughed at the idea of her and Spinelli in New York City. She could envision herself there but Spinelli just seemed like he wouldn't fit. "And what is your plan for our time in the big city?"

"A show, dinner and a walk in Central Park."

"And what show do you have in mind for us?"

"Wicked…of course. What performance could be better suited to the Formerly Bad Blonde One?" She stuck her tongue out and then giggled at his suggestion. "I suppose I can't disagree. I've done some pretty wicked things in the past."

"But that's where your transgressions lie Wounded Blond One. In the past. There's no need to carry that burden anymore. You've made amends have you not?"

"I have but sometimes it just doesn't feel like enough. I feel like I should just keep paying forever. I know that it doesn't make sense but I feel like as long as people are feeling the effects of the damage I caused I shouldn't get to be okay. Let alone happy." Spinelli looked at her and realized the weight of the guilt she carried. She never got past her misdeeds. Instead they perched on her shoulders, bearing down on her. "Maxie…"

"You never call me that."

"I know but I want you to know that I'm serious. You have to understand this. You do not have to sacrifice ever being happy again because you made some mistakes. Who hasn't? I've kept secrets that I knew could destroy lives. I've told lies that I knew were unforgiveable. But I had my reasons. You had your reasons for doing the misdeeds you've done. But you shouldn't have to suffer an eternity for them. You've suffered enough." During his speech tears had welled up in her eyes and were threatening to spill over. It had been so long since anyone had told her that it was okay to stop carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. It was always Georgie that talked her out of the dark hole she fell into at times and since Georgie died she had begun feeling like she was just sinking further and further. Now finally someone was by her side reassuring her that just because she had made mistakes didn't mean that she was doomed to carry them with her forever. She could move on from them. It was a refreshing change that she was clinging to. But there was always a sense of foreboding that something this good could never last. As always she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. For now though she was going to relish having someone who was firmly on her side. "Spinelli, I just want you to know how much our friendship has come to mean to me. I mean I know that you miss Georgie too and I'm glad you share that with me. I just hope you know that I've never had a real friend like you before. Not like a guy friend. Any guy who's tried to be my friend has always had something more in mind. Wanted something more from me. You've never wanted anything more than my friendship and I'm so thankful." Spinelli looked at Maxie and wasn't sure what to say to her. It's not that the thought of something more had never crossed his mind. He'd been spending a lot of time with her the last few months and he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. But it wasn't just the outward beauty that got him. He was constantly caught by surprise by how inwardly beautiful she was. She put on this front like she was worth nothing but he had seen lately that that simply wasn't true. When she wasn't looking he noticed how she was careful to leave Mac a note telling him where she was going and that there was dinner in the refrigerator. He noticed how her eyes softened when she talked about the elderly patients in the hospital and how wistful she sounded when she talked about the past they had shared with her. She loved anything from the war torn 1940's and did nothing to hide how romantic she thought men in uniform was. He didn't want more than friendship with her but he couldn't honestly tell himself that the thought of what it would be like to kiss her had never crossed his mind. At first he thought that it was all about Georgie. That he was clinging to Maxie and transferring the feelings he'd supressed for her to Maxie. It wasn't long before he realized though that he cared about Maxie on her own merits. She was lovely and gracious when the situation called for it, but she could also stand up for herself. And she would. Not only that but she stood up for those that she cared about. He could never tell Maxie that he'd thought those things though. She'd just finished telling him how much it meant to her that he had never asked for more than friendship from her and like her he didn't want to taint their friendship with romance. He had in the past given his heart too easily and it had caused him to miss out on the opportunity of being with an extraordinary woman like Georgie. He couldn't take the chance that pining after another beautiful blonde one would cause him to miss out on another golden opportunity. "Your friendship means a lot to me too. I would never want to do anything to risk that."

"So Wicked it is then. When do you want to go?"

"Tonight. The Jackal will ask Stone Cold for use of one of his stealth mobiles and we'll depart tonight. Say 7 o'clock. I'll have tickets to a ten o'clock show. That should give us time to get there." Maxie gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thank you Spinelli. I think we both need this. A fun night away from Port charles. Away from all the tragedy that's gone on in this town lately." He nodded and left Maxie's bedroom and out of the commissioners house.

When Spinelli returned home he found Jason sitting at his desk wtih his forhead lined with worry. "Greetings Stone Cold. What's troubling you on this nicest of days?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Just some new information on the Text Message Killer."

"Please Stone Cold. The Jackal needs to know anything there is about the evil TMK killer that killed Fair Georgie. At the very least to have some new information to take to the Wounded Blonde One about the evil doer that took her sister from her."

"There's proof that makes it highly unlikely that Cadet Cooper was the one that killed Georgie or Emily. According to his military files Logan Hayes has a history of violence towards women and had some charges under his belt that were hidden after a dishonorable discharge from the military. I need you to hack into the files and find out what those charges were."

"Piece of cake Stone Cold."

"Not necessarily Spinelli. This isn't standard hacking that I'm asking you to do. This is asking you to break into sealed military files. If you get caught you could be in serious trouble."

"Never fear. The Jackal will not get caught. Have you forgotten that I am the assassin of the internet, the ace of cyberspace? If it is on the web it is not to difficult for the Jackal to access." Spinelli sat down to the computer and began typing away. Jason attempted to watch over his shoulder but his fingers were moving so swiftly that it was impossible to keep up. Finally he just went over to the couch and sat down, hoping that it wouldn't be long before Spinelli accessed the files and got whatever information on Logan that had been kept so secret. Maybe it would be enough to clear Cooper's name and put the real TMK behind bars. After about fifteen minutes Spinelli slowed down and began looking closer at his screen. The fact that he was focusing meant that he was almost there and Jason returned to the computer to see what he'd found. "I think I've got it."

"And..."

"It looks like there was a death that Logan was responsible for. In a nearby camp a woman was strangled to death by a shoelace. They looked into several different suspects but Logan was the prime. They never found enough evidence to convict him but there was enough to warrant an immediate dismissal from the armed services. He was sent back to the states with a dishonorable discharge and a strong recommendation that he seek mental help for his ongoing hatred of women. According to the files here he was reported more than once for assaulting female soldiers in his unit, but that when it came time for the women to testify to get him discharged they all backed down." Spinelli looked up from his computer at Jason and knew that he'd found something important. "Jason, you need to find one of those women and get them to talk to the police. If one of them will come forward now and say that Logan threatened their life if they didn't take back the charges they brought against him we might be able to refocus the police on Logan as the primary suspect."

"Good job Spinelli. This is going to help a lot." It was not when Jason was thankful to him that Spinelli knew he should ask for the vehicle to take to Manhattan. "Stone Cold the Wounded Blonde One and I are planning to take a trip to Manhattan tonight to see a show and go to dinner. I was hoping that you would let me borrow one of your nicer vehicles to make the trip. The Blonde One's car is acceptable but there is no glamour to it and I know she would love to arrive in style as it were to the show."

"Just take the jet Spinelli. And call the limo service when you get to Manhattan."

"Stone Cold is going above and beyond. Why?"

"Because I don't want you banging up one of my SUV's. It's not that big of deal. They're always on retainer and it just takes a phone call an hour ahead of time to get it fueled up and well it just doesn't really matter." Spinelli didn't want to call Jason on what he really thought was going on. Even though Jason would never admit it he couldn't stand the deaths that had been going on. Yeah, he tried to stop them but a lot of the time he didn't really let himself feel the loss. Jason didn't really know Georgie but Emily was his sister, the only person from his time as Jason Quartermaine that he had really still loved, besides Lila. He knew how much it hurt to lose a sibling and he would be nice to Maxie now if for no other reason than he knew that she was grieving. He would also go out of his way to make the pain a little less, as long as he didn't have to let down his guard to do it. "Much thanks Stone Cold." He quickly left the room before Jason felt like he was being analyzed. Jason hated that. Besides he had to get ready to take Maxie out on the town for a night. Hopefully he could take her mind off of her problems, if only for one night.


	4. Chapter 4

Just a quick update. Another longer one is in the works but I wanted to post something.

Two hours later Spinelli showed up at the commissioners house and was surprised to find Maxie already waiting for him on the couch. She looked gorgeous in a black and white tea length dress and her hair was pulled back into an elegant french twist. He had no idea how she managed to make herself look so beautiful in such a short amount of time, although he always thought that she looked beautiful."I had expected to have to wait for you to finish getting ready. The Jackal is impressed by your swiftness."

"Thank you Spinelli. I left a message for Mac on his voicemail telling him what was going on but I want to get out of dodge before he comes home. He's pretty protective of me these days." Maxie lowered her eyes as though it was painful for her to even think about what Mac had been going through. "I understand Blonde One. It must be difficult to think about your father hurting."

"It is. I mean my dad has been through a lot. People don't really realize how badly it hurt him when Mom left. Not just this last ime but before that as well. When Mom had an affair with Luke Spencer it really took a toll on Mac. They did get back together but it was never really the same. And then mom left for good and he's not really recovered from that. He hasn't dated. He's been all about work and me and Georgie. I've never seen my dad look so broken as he did the night Georgie died. And the days after that. I knew what he was waiting for. He was waiting for Georgie to come home. To come through the door talking about something you said or did because she never shut up about you." At this point tears were starting to form in her eyes and he could hear the waiver in her voice. This hadn't been his plan for the evening but without asking he knew that she needed to be able to talk about Georgie and not have someone tell her that now wasn't the time. So he just stayed quiet and listened. "I teased her every day about her crush on you. I couldn't understand it. You weren't the way you are now then. You were cold to me all the time and I hated you for it. I thought you were weird and weak because you never got to know me on my own merits. I guess I didn't really give you any reason to want to get to know me." She looked up from her hands which she'd unconsciously been wringing and shook it off. "So are we ready to get out of here? Did you get that car from Jason?" Spinelli waved some keys in her face but she was disappointed to realize that they were her keys. "I guess that was a no then."

"I guess. Can I drive?" She didn't really care so she nodded and jumped into the passenger seat. Her car was reliable but it wasn't really anything all that special. She would have loved to roll up to the theater in a gorgeous SUV but alas it was not to be. As they drove off she realized that they were headed in the wrong direction. She didn't want to embarass Spinelli though so she stayed quiet. The show wasn't for hours and he would realize before long that they were going the wrong way. It wasn't until they reached the airport entrance that she realized that he'd known where he was going all along. "Spinelli, you didn't buy plane tickets to fly to Manhattan did you? That's like a half an hour flight and totally not worth the money."

"Relax Wounded Blonde One. The Jackal is a master at surprises when not asked about them.But I tend to lack the fortitude to keep the secret when it's asked point blank." She didn't want to ruin his surprise so she stayed quiet. He put a satin blindfold over her eyes and helped her out of her car. Then he walked her through the parking lot. She had no idea where they were going but she was surprised to realize that she trusted him completely. She had no doubt that he wouldn't let any harm come to her. And she was able to do exactly as he'd asked and relax. After walking a bit further then she would have liked in heels they stopped and he led her up a few stairs. "Spinelli, what are we doing? Can I take the blindfold off?"

"Yes Blonde One. You can take the blindfold off." She lifted the satin from her eyes and looked at her surroundings and was stunned by what she saw. On one side of the plane was the plushest couch she'd ever seen accessorized by seat belts. A curtain was hiding the cock pit and there was a bottle of champagne chilling on the table in front of the couch. The colors were red and black and it was everywhere. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. "Are we taking a tour of a jet before we head off? This is just cruel. Showing me what I can't have. Who's is it? Wait, let me guess Stone...Jason's."

"Yes fair one it does belong to Stone Cold but it is not simply a tour. The Wounded Blonde One and the Jackal are going to arrive in Manhattan in style. We'll take the jet to the airport and a limo will be waiting to take us to the theater."

"Spinelli you didn't have to do all this. I would have been happy in the SUV. I'm just glad that you want to spend time with me. I would have even been happy in my reliable old car."

"I understand that Wounded Blonde One but you've lost so much. The least that I can do is give you something extraordinary to take your mind off it. Now sit. We need to go now." They buckled themselves up and the jet took off. Throughout the flight they talked about everything and the short flight was over before they realized. They disembarked from the plane and a limo pulled up as soon as they stepped foot on the tarmac. For Maxie it was like something out of a movie. "Wounded Blonde One, the Jackal needs to go back on the plane. It occurs to me that the Jackal is supremely under dressed in comparison to the fair Maxie."

"Oh Spin. You look fine."

"But I can look better. Have a seat in the limo in the Jackal will join you shortly." Maxie climbed into the backseat while Spinelli reboarded the plane and she again took a look around. There was a mini bar in the limo and the seats were leather. The lights were low and there were chocolates on top of the mini refrigerator. It was beautiful and perfect. Everything she could have dreamed of and Spinelli had made it happen. He was a lot different than she had originally thought. He was still strange but in a great way. The way he got her was incredible and because of the way he spoke everything he said sounded important. It was like he was reading her shakespeare with every sentence. It was amazing the way that she had come to rely on him the past month or so. It had been a few months since Georgie's death but he never asked her to stop talking about her, even though it seemed like it sometimes hurt him to do so. It was those times when she tried to move to another topic. She cared about him and she didn't want him to be uncomfortable any more than he wanted her to be in pain. She was hoping at some point she could stop being the wounded blonde one and get a stronger nickname. But right now she was still wounded and he picked up on that like no one else. Just then the door opened and Spinelli climbed in beside her. He had changed into a Hugo Boss black two button tonal suit with a black dress shirt and crimson tie and for once his hair was brushed, although there were some bangs falling down into his eyes. He looked incredible. "What does the Wounded Blonde One think? I had Fair Samantha help me pick out an outfit that would be appropriate for the occasion."

"You look great Spinelli. Quite handsome." She couldn't tell him that she thought that he looked gorgeous and she was curious at the fact that her heart seemed to skip a beat. There was no way that she could fall for Damian Spinelli. He was quickly becoming her best friend and she couldn't risk that by starting to have romantic feelings for him. He was a goofball, nothing like the men that she had dated in the past. But as the limo pulled out of the parking lot at the airport she snuck a look at the man sitting next to her. He was handsome and self assured yet still spoke to her as if she were a delicate flower. The way that he cared about her suddenly made him seem even more attractive to her. She shook her head and lifted her glass of champagne to her lips. It was her that said she was grateful that he didn't want anything but friendship from him. How could she start thinking of him as more than a friend? The rest of the ride to theater was silent but it was a comfortable silence. The kind of silence that only good friends are able to maintain. When they arrived at the theater Spinelli stepped out of the limo and stretched his hand out for Maxie. She took it and as she stepped out of the limosine she felt like a movie star about to walk the red carpet. As she looked in his eyes she saw that he was looking at her as though she were a movie star as well. As if she were the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. As they settled in their seats Maxie thought maybe it wouldn't be so bad to give more than friendship with Spinelli a try. Then the curtain went up and she was enthralled by the goings on on the stage.


	5. Chapter 5

A few hours later the show was over and Spinelli and Maxie exited the theater. The show had been magical and now they were going to take a late night stroll around Central Park. It was the perfect night for a walk. Spring was just settling in and she could see flowers starting to peak through the ground. There was a slight chill in the air but it wasn't bad. If she was being honest with herself it was the perfect night for the start of a romance. There seemed to be magic in the air and in Manhattan both her and Spinelli seemed to be different. Like all the pretense was stripped away. They walked quietly for a while before Maxie finally had to ask the question that had been weighing on her all night. "Why do you seem so different tonight Spinelli? It can't just be the clothes because they're great but it's just fabric. But you seem so...confident and self assured."

"There's nothing to hide here. It's just you and me."

"What do you mean? What are you keeping such a secret in Port Charles?"

"Myself. I lost a bit of it and spending time with the Wounded Blonde One in a new environment allows me to find the parts of myself that I seemed to drop along the way. The Jackal is to most people simply what they need him to be." Maxie was astounded by his assessment of himself. It was almost as if he was telling her that Spinelli wasn't real. That he was an illusion. "What do you mean you're what people need you to be?"

"Fair Lulu always needed me to be her shoulder when the newest man in her life came along. And even though it hurt the Jackal to do so I was diligent in my role. Stone Cold, although he would never admit it, needs someone to look up to him with childlike wonder. It fills the void of having those who would have been his sons not look at him as a hero. So although the Jackal at times may seem to hero worship Stone Cold I am acting within the bounds of what he needs me to be. Normally people need me to be crazy, goofy Spinelli who's just a little strange so they can feel normal. Superior. I've come to realize that most people don't like it when the Jackal departs and Damian Spinelli takes his place. Since coming to Port Charles it's as if Damian Spinelli no longer exists." Maxie looked at Spinelli sad for him. She had never realized that he spent so much of his time trying to please others and she had no idea that he felt he failed most of the time. She knew what it was like to put on a facade for people and to hope that at some point they would love you, even if it was only the you they wanted to see. "Spinelli, what do I need you to be? Who do you pretend to be for me?" He lowered his eyes uncomfortable with the conversations turn to him and his true nature. He could talk to Maxie for hours about their mutual grief over losing Georgie but for him to truly open was asking a lot. It was a situation that he was completely ill at ease with. "What did you think of the show? The Jackal found it to be a unique take on a classic story. I wished that I had gotten us better seats though. It was the last minute and..."

"Spinelli, what do I need you to be? Who do you pretend to be for me?" Spinelli tried to speed up to avoid the question again but she grabbed his arm and stopped him in his tracks. "I'm serious Spinelli? I want to know what I ask of you."

"Fair Maxie it seems that you should realize that the Jackal is not comfortable with the topic and wishes for the subject to be changed."

"I realized already that you don't want to answer me and that's not acceptable. Spinelli, I spill my guts to you all the time. I've told you things I've never told anyone else. I want you to be able to do the same thing with me." She waited for his response anxious to hear what she demanded of him. That had always been her downfall. She was too demanding. Of time or money or affection. When someone gave to her it was never enough. She wanted more and usually it ended up being more than they could give. Either that they gave everything they had and she couldn't seem to give all of her back. "Fine fair Maxie. I'll tell you what you ask of me. Nothing. And everything. Because I give you what I want to gve you. Georgie was a faithful friend to me and she loved you. When you lost her the Jackal could see the void in you. It was like something vital had been taken. Even when you smiled it never reached your eyes. I'll never forget the day that you broke down in Kelly's. Throwing dishes and screaming that we had no right acting like Georgie never lived. The Jackal never thinks of what you ask of him because you give so much."

"I don't understand what it is that I give you. Besides possibly a headache."

"Fair Maxie makes me feel useful and needed. Something that the Jackal longs to be. Computer saavy is nice and a handy talent but there is more to the Jackal than being adept with a computer. There are times when people forget that even I liked to be needed. And you appreciate me. While the Jackal greatly admires Stone Cold and certainly appreciates the perks that come with the hefty paycheck, such as the limo and the jet, he is well aware that gratitude is certainly not his strong suit. Fair Maxie tells me on a regular basis what my friendship means to her and that makes me feel good."

"Are you trying to tell me that I don't paint you into any corners?"

Well even Fair Maxie has a tendency to put the Jackal in the place of the geeky girlfriend. At times it's clear that you barely realize that I'm a man and that's slightly troubling. But the Jackal is used to that. Women rarely look at me as though I could be a partner in love. Except for the Wise Georgie's love which sadly the Jackal was to blind to recognize. I will lament that fact for the rest of my life. My yearning for the blonde one was so great that I cheated myself out of what could have been one of the greatest loves of my life. Had I recognized wise Georgie's feelings for me perhaps she would still be alive."

"Spinelli, Georgie probably would have still gone to the park that night because she was protecting me. You can't blame yourself for not realizing what she never told you. Even if I did throw it in your face. That wasn't fair. You can't be expected to be a mind reader. Georgie never told you. That's not your fault. And it's not my fault that she intercepted the text that was coming to me and went to the park. It's taken me some time but there's nobody to blame for Georgie's death but the text message killer. We can't blame ourselves for his actions." Maxie had never realized before that Spinelli carried the weight of Georgie's death like she did. She knew it haunted him that he didn't realize Georgie loved him but she couldn't blame him for that. He'd missed out on a great thing with Georgie. "Well, this is Central Park and we shouldn't be spoiling our night with such heavy conversation. Let's head to the fountain to make a wish."

"As you wish Fair Maximista."

"What did you just call me? Maximista. What's that?"

"The pinacle of beauty and sexual allure."  
"Spinelli. Wow."

"Oh come on. You know you're beautiful." For some reason she was suddenly very embarassed by his compliments. The banter was very datelike and the night invited romance. There were stars in the sky even though they were in the middle of New York City and there was just the slightest of chills. It was his praise though that caused her unrest. As he had mentioned earlier when Spinelli disappeared and Damian showed himself she didn't know how to be just Maxie. She was more comfortable when he was goofy, silly Spinelli. But she refused to force him to be what she needed. She only wanted him to ever be himself with her, whether that was Spinelli or Damian. "Let's walk." She took his arm and they walked under the starry sky. Like the limo ride no words were needed until they arrived at the fountain in the middle of the park. "So does Maximista wish to make a wish?"

"Of course." He handed her a quarter and they turned their back to the fountain. They kissed their quarters and Spinelli said, "On the count of three. One, two, three." They tossed their quarters over their shoulders and heard the plunk, plunk as their change landed in the fountain. "What did you wish for Spinelli?"

"Fair Maxie you know that it would be bad luck should the Jackal divulge such priveleged information."

"I'll tell you mine if you'll tell me yours. Come on. You're not really superstitous are you?"

"The Jackal will not admit to being superstitous but I am not one to test the Gods." Maxie shook her head and looked up at the night sky. "I wish we didn't have to go back to Port Charles Spinelli. That place just is so sad all the time. I resent everyone who's moving forward and moving on. Every time I see Lulu I think of what she took from Georgie.And yeah I know that she had no way of knowing that Georgie would die but I can't help think about all the time Georgie wasted being miserable because of Lulu. And Dillon. When he came back for the funeral I just I tried so hard to be happy to see him. I think I faked it rather well. Because when I looked at him all I saw was him chasin Lulu while my sister pined for him. He and Lulu caused her so much pain. Port Charles is just such an empty place without her." A single tear slid down her cheek and without thinking Spinelli brushed it away with his thumb. "Don't cry Maximista. Wise Georgie would not want you to cry for her forever. She would want you to be happy and fulfilled."

"I know. It's just hard without her. I never really told her but she was my best friend." She looked down at the ground and smiled sadly. "She would have loved tonight. The jet, the limo, the show and the walk in the park. She would have just loved it." Spinelli put his arm around her shoulders and she her head on him. It was a completely friendly move but he got chills up and down his spine when she moved closer. Throughout the night he'd found himself focusing on her more than he should have. She had just told him that day how much it meant to her that he didn't want anything from her beyond friendship and just hours later he was having a hard time tearing his eyes away from her lips. Her eyes were even worse though. Every time he looked in her eyes he saw everything she was feeling and it amazed him. He had watched her throughout the show and her eyes sparkled like a childs with wonder. When he bought the tickets it never occurred to him that she had never been to a show on Broadway before. He had just assumed that since she grew up in upstate New York Broadway would be old hat to her. He found himself wondering what else they could experience together and what other ways he could make her eyes sparkle like that. She moved away from him and smiled before jumping onto the edge of the fountain. One foot in front of the other she walked the edge, water on one side and ground on the other. Before he could stop her she kicked her shoes onto the ground and stepped right into the water. "This is something that most people only dream about Spinelli. Playing in the fountain in Central Park. You've helped make a dream come true." He smiled at her and was in awe of her beauty. In the glow of the streetlamps and the moonlight she looked almost ethereal, to beautiful to be human. It was then that he realized that there was no going back regarding his feelings for her. He had fallen completely for her, but he knew that he couldn't tell her. Her friendship was to important to him and she needed him to be just a friend. In the fountain Maxie looked out at Spinelli standing there watching her. She had found him handsome at the beginning of the evening but throughout the night she had found him to be incredibly sexy. His confidence here made her melt. This was not the bumbling boy who was awkward at best in social situations. Here he was suave and supremely confident. Oddly she felt certain that her attraction to him would follow her back to Port Charles. It wasn't just the confidence that was drawing her in. It was the way he cared for her. Completely protective. Like a brother. As soon as she thought it she shoved it away. She did not see him as a brother, even though she felt that it would be better for both of them if she did. Her love only hurt people and she would never want to hurt Spinelli. "We should get back. I wouldn't want you to turn into a pumpkin." She jumped out of the fountain and picked her shoes up off the ground. Spinelli totally expected her to slide them back on because she was always impeccably dressed and was shocked when she carried them by her fingers, walking barefoot down the trails of Central Park. He was surprised again when she fell asleep with her head on his shoulder as soon as they got in the limo to the jet.

Authors Note- I've worked out an outline for the story so updates should be pretty frequent. Please continue to review. Constructive criticism or suggestions are always welcome.


	6. Chapter 6

Spinelli briefly woke Maxie when they switched from limo to jet but like a child she just fell right back to sleep. The short jet ride home was silent except for the sound of her breathing rythmically. He listened to each breathe and wondered how he was going to be able to keep his new feelings for her a secret. He had a tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve and he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to hide how he felt. "I'm just going to have to stay away from her." Maxie stirred and looked up at him. "Hmmm. What did you say? Sorry, sleeping."

"Nothing fair Maximista. The Jackal was just talking to himself. Go back to sleep." She nuzzled herself further into his side and quickly fell asleep again. It had been a long and tiring day for both of them but Spinelli's mind was racing. She relied on him so much that he didn't know how he could remove himself from her day to day life without it being obvious. He would just have to bury himself in work for Jason. Maybe he could get him to send him on a trip or something. There must be a way for him to seperate himself from Maxie. When the plane landed Spinelli gently nudged Maxie. "Hmm. I don't want to get up. Just a few more minutes." He could barely understand her mumbling but he knew that he needed to get her off the plane. He needed to get her back to the commissioners house so he could get back to the penthouse and away from her. "Maximista. It's time to get up now." She sat up and brushed the hair out of her eyes the same way he did. She looked even more beautiful waking up then she did when she was perfectly put together. And she looked astounding put together. It took everything he had not to lean down and kiss her but he knew that he didn't have that right. She wasn't his and she couldn't be. That's not what she wanted from him. "We home?"

"Yeah, we're back in good ole PC. The Jackal will drive Fair Maximista home." They walked off the plane and got into her car. The ride was silent but this time the silence was deafening and very uncomfortable. There was such a barrier between them but each felt like the wall was being put up by them so neither mentioned it. About fifteen minutes after leaving the airport they arrived at Maxie's house. "Do you want to come in Spinelli?"

"No, thank you. I think I should be getting home."

"Oh, okay." She got out of the car and bent down to peer in the rolled down window. "Is everything alright between us?"

"Of course Maximista. What could possibly be wrong?" She just smiled and turned away. As he pulled away away from the curb she glanced over her shoulder at the car pulling away. Something had changed between them after they left New York. It's like the veil that had been lifted had been dropped back down between them and was now thicker than ever. She wasn't sure how to bridge the gap that had suddenly, and without logical reason, appeared between them. She just knew she had to do something. But it was late and she was still tired. She would take care of whatever was going on with her and Spinelli tomorrow.

When Maxie woke up the next morning she layed in bed and thought back on the night before. Until the awkwardness coming home the evening had been perfect. Spinelli had looked so handsome but it wasn't just that. Even today when she thought about him she felt her breathe catch a little in her throat. She was stunned by the fact she seemed to have fallen in love with her best friend over night and then a thought stopped her in her tracks. She had told him that she wanted nothing more than friendship from him. She had gone on and on aobut how much it meant to her that he didn't want her as anything more than a friend and he hadn't corrected her. Of course he didn't want her. He knew all the terrible things she had done. There was no problem with him being her friend but he wouldn't ever be crazy enough to fall for her. Spinelli would never make that kind of mistake. She got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. She got ready for the day and then picked up her cell phone that was sitting on her bedside table. She thought about calling Spinelli but put the phone down, silently deciding to surprise him. She dressed in a pair of black jeans and a simple white t-shirt. Spinelli never really cared what she wore and she just really wanted to see him. She got in her car and drove to see Spinelli. However she did again consider calling him as she rode the elevator up to Jason's penthouse. But the doors slid open before she could. She walked off the elevator and knocked on the door. She knocked several times before the door finally opened and she saw Spinelli standing there in a pair of hospital scrub pants and no shirt. As usual his hair was all over the place but that was Spinelli. As she took him in she was stunned. She had seen him without a shirt before but now she wondered how she hadn't noticed how ripped he was. The muscles in his arms were well defined and while he didn't have washboard abs he did have a burgeoning six pack. He was definitely staying in shape. "Maximista. To do what do I owe the pleasure?" She noticed that he made no move to let her in and he wasn't looking her in the eyes. For some reason her heart started beating a little faster and she was unclear as to whether to attribute that to her growing feelings for him or her growing fear that something was wrong with their friendship. "I just wanted to see you. Do you want to go get breakfast?"

"I can't. I've got some work to do for Stone Cold that's going to be taking up a lot of my time. It's a really important project that I was supposed to start last night but put off. So now the Jackal must get crackin." Spinelli nearly lost his resolve when he saw how crushed she looked. The pain in her eyes was enough for him to break down and tell her how much she really meant to him. Then he remembered what she said the day before and knew that he couldn't. The way she still talked about Georgie and Cooper at times was proof enough to him that she was still grieving those losses. He couldn't add even more stress to her life by sharing the feelings he had for her. It would just be one more thing she had to deal with. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would never intentionally hurt him so she would tie herself into knots to try and let him down easily. She had enought on her plate that he couldn't do that to her. "Spinelli did I do something wrong? I thought we had a good time last night but things were weird in the car home. Did I upset you by pushing you to talk to me? I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure that I'm as good a friend to you as you are to me. Spinelli I wouldn't ever make you tell me something you didn't want to. Sometimes I just get to excited or..."

"Maximista you didn't do anything wrong. The Jackal just has work that he has to do and time is of the essence."

"I'll help. We work well together and it's always more fun when it's the two of us."

"No Maximista. This is a very, very confidential matter and Stone Cold would be overwhelmingly angry with his grasshopper should I divulge such sensitive information, even to the Fair Maximista."

"It's never stopped you before."

"Precisely why the Jackal cannot tell Maximista this time. Stone Cold was very angry the last time the Jackal shared private mobular details with Maximista and I fear that I would lose my job should I continue in that practice. And since time is of the essence the Jackal must unfortunately bid Fair Maximista adieu. I'm afraid I'll be unavailable for a few days because of this project but when the Jackal has completed his task he will call Maximista and we can make plans to hang out." Before Maxie could say anything Spinelli was leading her toward the door gently urging her to go. She realized that resistance was futile since he seemed resolute in his decision to make her go. Once the door closed behind her and she walked onto the elevator she thought about their interaction that morning. It was strained and just as awkward as the night before but he refused to tell her what she could have done to make him angry with her. She thought over the course of the night and she tried to think of what she could have done to make him so mad that he would push her away. She had been pushy about him telling her what she required of him and she wondered if maybe that had been it. Their friendship meant so much to her but perhaps it didn't mean as much to him. Maybe she had put all feelings she'd had for Georgie and Cooper and placed them all on Spinelli. There were a lot of times where she broke down with him and he held her while she cried. Maybe she was doing her typical Maxie routine and being completely selfish, never thinking of the losses that Spinelli had dealt with. As usual she only thought of herself. Of course he would get tired of her incessant chatter about her and her pain. When he wanted to talk about Jason and whatever his secret pain was she completely brushed it off. Even if she didn't think that Jason was really hurting that bad she should listen to what Spinelli said, because he always listened to what she said. Even about the silly stuff like the latest hairstyles or fashion trends. He was completely enthralled by everything she said. At least she thought he was. Maybe he wasn't really listening when she was talking and was thinking of ways to get away from her. Maxie pushed the stop button on the elevator and felt it come to a sudden halt. She sat on the floor and put her head in her hands. She cried for Georgie because if Georgie were alive she would have someone to talk to about the feelings she was having. Better yet she probably at this point would be listening ot Georgie talking to her about the romantic date Spinelli had taken her on the night before. But Georgie was gone and she would never get the magical night with Spinelli that she had just had. She cried for Cooper and Jesse. They had loved her and it killed them. There was no doubt in her mind that she was toxic. Everyone she loved either left or died. The only people she had left now were Mac and Robin, and even though Robin could live for years with HIV it would still kill her eventually. Then it would just be Mac there to pick up the pieces. Apparently Spinelli had already decided that she was more trouble than she was worth. She cried for her fractured relationship with Spinelli and for what could have been if there were the possibility he could feel the same way. But what would a guy like him want with a vapid blonde who only knew fashion and heartbreak. He deserved someone sweet and quirky like him. He deserved someone like Georgie but he would never find anyone that wonderful. Spinelli would find the next best thing though and he would forget about Maximista. She would be a memory like Lulu had become. After spending nearly half an hour on the floor of the elevator crying all the tears she had in her to cry she wiped her eyes and finally stood up. She pulled a pocket mirror out of her purse and reapplied her eye makeup and straightened her clothes and hair. There was no way she was going to let anyone know that she had been crying in an elevator in the Harborview Towers. Her ego could only take so much.

Back up in the penthouse Spinelli leaned against the closed door. Maxie had left some time ago but he'd found himself unable to move. The hurt he'd seen in her eyes when he'd sent her away had been unmistakeable. He had cut her to the quick and he hated himself for it. The only thing he could tell himself was that it was better this way since she was clearly not ready to hear the feelings he had for her. She was gorgeous and would no doubt find another guy to be there for her during her time of grief. Someone who wouldn't give into his baser nature and fall head over heels for her. Or at the very least someone that she could fall head over heels in love with herself. He knew that she would never see him as more than just a friend and being with her everyday with her treating him like he was just a girlfriend would hurt too much. He wouldn't be able to listen to her talk about another guy and not want to be him. She would be better off learning to get along without him because he clearly couldn't be the kind of friend that she needed him to be. He sat down on the couch and the words that she said echoed in his mind. " I just hope you know that I've never had a real friend like you before. Not like a guy friend. Any guy who's tried to be my friend has always had something more in mind. Wanted something more from me. You've never wanted anything more than my friendship and I'm so thankful." Even as he thought them the words cut like a knife because they took her away from him. She would never want more from him and what they had would never be enough for him. In a few weeks time when he'd had time to process his feelings for her and possibly even bury them then they could restart a tentative friendship. Until then he would just have to keep finding excuses to not be able to spend time with her. As soon as Jason got back to the penthouse he was going to ask to be sent away to do his work in seclusion. Even if it was just a safehouse Jason could no doubt tell Maxie that he had had to go to one of the casinos to do some surveillance work on a gambling hoax. He just knew that he had to stay away from Maxie for awhile. It had been completely awkward the night before and this morning had been no better. In trying to protect her from the feelings that he was having for her he had hurt her, something he never wanted to do. She looked liked a broken hearted little girl when he led her out the door and it was clear that she wanted to stay. There was no understanding in her eyes as he closed the door in her face. If she hadn't been gone for so long now he would have run out the door, jumped on the elevator and tried to catch up to her to assure her that she had done nothing to cause his distance. She was always so scared that she was going to do something to blow her world apart. She knew she was self destructive and she tried to keep those urges at bay but more often than not she got herself in some kind of crazy situation. He sat down at his computer and did some work trying to find some more evidence about the TMK but he was distracted. He couldn't stop thinking about Maxie and all the guilt that she carried on her shoulders . She carried the weight of the world on those slim shoulders and she had come to count on him to help relieve the burden. Could he really just leave her to carry all that on her own because he didn't feel like he could deal with the love he felt for her? If he could just let their friendship go because being around her, loving her in silence, was painful what kind of man was he? He needed to speak to someone who understood what it was like to be the ever present friend, even while loving from afar. But who could he talk to that fit that description. And then suddenly he knew. He bolted up the stairs and quickly changed into the first clean outfit he could find, threw on his shoes, and ran out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

Spinelli waited impatiently as the hospital elevator climbed slowly floor to floor. It would have gone a lost faster if there wasn't someone getting on at nearly every floor. As the elevator hit the first floor an elderly woman and her walker made their way onto the elevator and he looked down at his feet as she mumbled quietly to herself. However he was barely able to contain his laughter when she loudly passed gas and never batted an eyelash. Moments later he wasn't laughing though as the smell filled the small space. He was completely grateful when the elevator doors opened and she got off on the second floor. As she was getting off a very pregnant woman waddled onto the elevator. She had her hands on her back and he could see that she was in labor, walking between pains. As the elevator climbed floors another contraction hit and suddenly this strange woman was clutching his hand and screaming that all men were dogs. Once again Spinelli was relieved when the elevator doors opened on the fifth floor and the pregnant woman waddled off back to her room. This time it was a young couple who walked onto the elevator bickering about whether he was going to go into the room to visit her mother, who was in the ICU. They argued back and forth voices rising with the floors. The elevator stopped at the tenth floor and Spinelli walked off eager to get away from the angry young couple. He was confused when he left the penthouse and now he was confused with a pounding head-ache. He walked up to the Nurses Station and came face to face with Nurse Johnson. "Would Nurse Johnson happen to know where the Jackal might find Noble Nurse Nadine?"

"She's on duty Spinelli and doesn't need to be bothered."

"I understand Nurse Johnson but I have to speak with her. It is a matter of the utmost importance."

"Fine Spinelli. She's in Room 1046 straightening up from a patient that left earlier today."

"Thank you." He walked off to find Room 1046 and the only person that could truly understand what it was like to be eternally placed in the friend zone. Even he himself had placed her in that zone while he was still enthralled by the original Blonde One. Like Wise Georgie Nadine had been interested in him romantically and he had brushed her romantic attentions aside out of loyalty to Lulu. A loyalty that had been unnecessary as she had truly never seen him in a more than friendly manner. He entered the room and saw Nadine changing the sheets on the bed. "Noble Nurse Nadine how does the Jackal find you today?"

"The Jackal finds me doing quite well. To what do I owe this supreme pleasure?"

"The Jackal seeks your wisdom on a matter of the heart."

"Have a seat." They sat down on the bed and Jolene waited for him to speak. "The Jackal finds himself in a most unenviable position, one that he feels Noble Nurse Nadine may be able to empathize with."

"And what position is that?"

"In love."

"In love?"

"Or out. Out of her favour, where I am in love."

"Spinelli unless you're in love with me quoting Shakespeare is unnecessary. But if you're in love with me quote away."

"If only I were in love with you things would be much simpler. Instead the Jackal is once again doomed to love one that will never love him back."

"Oh Spinelli. Lulu's made it perfectly clear that she wants Johnny. Chasing after her is simply a lesson in futility."

"And I understand. The Jackal no longer pines for The Original Blonde One. Instead I find myself falling for the Fair Maximista."

"Maximista?"

"Maxie. I've fallen quite in love with her and I'm afraid it's very inconvenient." She cocked her head to the side and furrowed her brown. She didn't understand how falling in love could be inconvenient and was slightly confused as to why he had come to her with this particular problem. "Spinelli how can I help you?"

"You've been placed more than once in the friend zone. Have you ever wanted more from a friend? You know wanted more than just a friendship when it was clear that the other person wasn't ready?"

"I'm kind of there now. Nikolas Cassadine. He's still grieving the loss of his fiancee and even though I've developed feelings for him I know that he's not really ready to have a more than friendly relationship. As much as I would like it."

"So does it hurt you to be around him?"

"A little. But not as much as not being around him. I guess I just figure that I'm better getting a little of him than none of him. Because we have a good time together. We laugh and talk and ride horses. He's become a close friend and I can't see giving that up for what. Some kisses or sex. We've got now what most relationships end up with. A great friendship. I'm sure both he and I will have relationships with other people at some point. We may even have a relationship with each other at some point. But for now we have a terrific friendship. It would be a shame to throw that away because I want something he can't give. And he's grieving. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't understand that?"

"Thank you Noble Nurse Nadine. You have helped the Jackal out tremendously." Spinelli got up to leave the room and turned back in the doorway. "Someday he will see what's standing right in front of him. And he won't be able to help wanting you back." She smiled and he continued out of the room.

Maxie left Harborview Towersand and just drove for a while. She couldn't figure out what to do with her time. She'd gotten so used to spending all her time with Spinelli that she was having a hard time figuring out what to do without him. Before she knew where she was going she ended up pulling into the parking lot at Sam's apartment building. She buzzed up to Sam's place and was promptly let in. "Hey Maxie. What's up?"

"I need to talk. I've been having the worst day."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm screwed that's what." Sam looked at Maxie questioningly and motioned for her to have a seat. "Do you want something to drink?"

"A glass of wine if you've got it. And I know that it's only mid-day but I just really need a glass. I could actually do with a fifth of tequila but I guess that's not going to happen." Sam went into the kitchen and poured them both a glass of wine before coming back and joining Maxie on the couch. "Okay spill. What's got you so upset?"

"Spinelli."

"Did he do something?"

"Yes and no. Kinda. We went to Manhattan last night. You know that. You helped him pick out his outfit. Well we went to see Wicked and then took a walk in Central Park. We talked about everything Sam. About Georgie, about peoples expectations of us, about our guilt over Georgie's death. I thought it was the perfect night and I started seeing him differently. While we were in the city the goofiness fell away and he was supremely confident without being cocky. As always he was sweet and kind and absolutely adorable." As Maxie talked about Spinelli Sam watched her face. She noted the slight upturn of her lips and the sparkle that entered her eyes. It was quite clear that Maxie had ran past the friendship line and was well on her way to being in love with Damian Spinelli. When Spinelli had told her his plans for Maxie the night before she wondered if somehow this would happen. It was hard not to love Spinelli and he was completely loyal when he loved you. That was something Sam had known Maxie would cherish since she had lost so many people. "So what's the problem Maxie? You've told me all the great stuff but you seem to be dancing around whatever you came to talk about."

"I think I'm in love with him Sam. Well I know I am. But I went over to the penthouse this morning and he rushed me out and gave me some lame excuse about having a lot of work to do for Jason that was completely confidential. I thought he had such a great time last night but ever since he dropped me off something's been off. It's like he's trying to get away from me and I don't know what I did."

"When you saw him this morning did you ask him about it?"

"Yeah, he said that I didn't do anything wrong but then why won't he spend time with me?"

"Were you going over there to tell him that you love him?"

"No, I wouldn't put Spinelli in a situation like that. I know he doesn't feel the same and him being Spinelli would do anything not to hurt me. I don't want to put him in the position of having to let me down easily." Sam smiled at her friend and wondered how she could be so blind. It wasn't very often that you find a man who decides to take you to Manhattan on a whim just to cheer you up. Spinelli may not have realized it himself yet but she had no doubt that he was as in love with Maxie as Maxie was with him. Of course neither of them would believe that they other could care for them in that way. Each had the other on a pedestal and found that they themselves would be less than desirable to the other. It was a shame that they couldn't just see that they were a good fit. "Are you so sure that he doesn't feel the same way Maxie? Because I've got to tell you there aren't a lot of guys who just whisk their female friends away for a night in Manhattan. On a private jet no less."

"Sam if Spinelli were interested in me don't you think that he'd want to be closer to me instead of further away? It's pretty obvious that my motor mouth went so fast last night that I said something stupid and now I don't even know what it is! How dumb can I be? I finally find a guy who's great to me and that's not a cop and what do I do? I say something dumb off the cuff and spoil everything." The pain she was feeling was written all over her face and Sam reached out to hug her friend. Maxie had lost so much in her life and now she was terrified every time she cared about someone that they were going to go away. She couldn't really blame her. "Maxie you undersestimate yourself all the time and you're doing it again. Maybe the reason Spinelli is seperating himself from you is because he has feelings for you that he doen't think that you would reciprocate. It would be just like Spinelli to think he could never get a girl like you. Especially after the number that Lulu Spencer did on him. Have you ever given Spinelli a reason not to share his feelings with you?" Maxie thought back and like Spinelli had earlier taht day she could practically hear the words she'd spoken to him just the day before. " I just hope you know that I've never had a real friend like you before. Not like a guy friend. Any guy who's tried to be my friend has always had something more in mind. Wanted something more from me. You've never wanted anything more than my friendship and I'm so thankful." Maxie took a deep breath and layed her head back on the couch. "Of course I did. Isn't it just like me to put my foot in my mouth? I told him how much our friendship meant and that I'd never had a guy friend before that didn't want something more. I was so grateful to him that he wasn't trying to get in my pants that I probably scared him away from ever telling me how he feels about me. If he does feel that way about me."

"I think you should go talk to him Maxie. From the sounds of it things are already kind of strained between the two of you. So the only thing talking about it can do is clear the air. Even if he doesn't share your feelings at least you'll know you made the effort."

"Yeah. I guess I should talk to him. He's gotta know that a girl as stubborn as I am isn't just going to disappear." Maxie smiled and stood up. "Thank you Sam. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Work yourself into a fine emotional mess I imagine. Trust me I never let anyone get to close to me either because I was afraid of getting hurt. At least until Jason and even though that relationship didn't work out I ended up with Lucky. And wouldn't trade either of those relationships even if they've caused me pain at times. Hurt is just a part of life but it can lead to a lot of joy if you just ride it out."

"Going into the greeting card biz?"

"Oh would you go and find Spinelli. Shoo." She waved her out of the apartment and sat back down on the couch. Hopefully Maxie and Spinelli would find a way to be together because from where she sat they made a pretty great, albeit a little odd, couple.


	8. Chapter 8

When Maxie left Sam's she took her time walking to the parking lot. Could Sam be right? Could Spinelli really want her as much as she wanted hiim and in the same way that she wanted him? There was no denything that a deep friendship had formed between them. It was undeniable. In fact in a lot of ways he had become her rock. The one person that she didn't have to be something for. With Georgie gone there was pressure that she had never faced before. Pressure to be a better daughter to Mac, a better cousin to Robin. Pressure to live up to Georgie's memory and be better person so people wouldn't know death took the wrong Jones girl. Not that most people didn't already know that. But after Georgie's death she had forced Spinelli to help her find the text message killer and somehow out of that their friendship had grown. That night in the cemetary had cemented their friendship a lot. At least if he did decide that he wanted to be with her he would know what he was getting into. He knew where most of the people she cared about ended up. Once Maxie got into her car she drove quickly to Jason's penthouse and hopped on the elevator up. She was nervous about what he would say but she was also strangely excited. Maybe he did want her and was just afraid to tell her. After what she said about their friendship she couldn't blame him. At some point she was really going to have to learn how to control her mouth, since more often than not it got her into trouble. When Maxie got to the penthouse she knocked on the door for about five minutes during which time her mind raced with possibilities. What if he was in there watching the surveillance footage from the parking garage and deliberately not answering the door because he knew it was her? As soon as she thought it she pushed the thought away. That was something she couldn't really see Spinelli doing. So finally she decided that she would go home, freshen up and come back later to talk to him.

When Maxie pulled into her driveway she was surprised to find Spinelli's car parked there as well. She parked her car behind him and walked to the side of his car. Looking in the window she realized that he was asleep. She wondered how long he'd been here presumably waiting for her. She knocked on the rolled up window and giggled when she jumped high in his seat. He must have been really out of it. He rolled the window down and said, "To what do I owe the pleasure Maximista."

"I don't know. You tell me. You're parked in my driveway. I assume you came to talk about something?"

"Yes, I did."

"Okay, well come in the house. I think i have some orange soda in the refrigerator." He got out of the car and followed her into the commissioners house. It was still strange being in there, especially knowing that his job required him to break the law on a fairly regular basis. "Maximista have you ever lived away from the law abiding one?"

"Yes. I lived in the dorms while i was in college and I stayed with Jesse and Cooper a lot while I was with them. I guess you wouldn't call it living together because I technically lived here but for the most part I was with them. Why?"

"The Jackal was just curious."

""Does it weird you out to be in the police commissioners house Spinelli?" She laughed a little but she knew that Mac didn't really approve of her friendship with Spinelli. She was his only remaining daugther and at times he had a tendency to get a little on the overprotective side. In fact he had a tendency to bound right past overprotective straight to borderline out of control. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed two orange sodas out of the refrigerator and a bag of barbeque potatoe chips from the cupboard before rejoining him on the couch in the living room. "So what's up Spin? Why were you waiting in my driveway."  
"The Jackal wanted to apologize to Fair Maximista. It occurred to me almost immediately after you left this morning that I was very cold to you. Even regrettably pushing you out of the front door. I have no excuse for my poor behavior."

"I just don't understand it. I thought we had a great time last night and then today and on the ride home last night it was like there was a wall between us. And I don't know what I did to put it there."

"Why would you just assume that it was you that put up the wall? Maximista you did nothing wrong. The Jackal had the time of his life last night. It was better than his fondest dream."

"Then what was wrong when we came home? Why didn't you want to spend time with me anymore?"

"It doesn't matter anymore. The Jackal has dealt with the issue and it'll no longer be a problem."

"But what was it? Why don't you tell me things Spinelli? You tell me all the time how wonderful you think I am and how much I mean to you and it's great. I love how you let me know that I'm important to you. But you never let me in. Not all the way. You don't tell me when you're hurt or scared or upset. You act like nothing bothers you and that my feelings are the only ones that matter. Why did you put a wall between us?"

"The Jackal doesn't wish to divulge that information and I really do wish Maximista wouldn't press the issue."

"I'm doing it again. It's what caused the problem last night I'm sure of it. You're sick of me telling you what to do and what to tell me. I'm sorry Spinelli. I just want us to be close. I tell you everything and I went to Jason's to tell you even more today and now I'm pushing you again and you're tired of it."

"Did you say that you went to Stone Cold to tell me something today? What did you want to talk tell me?"

"I guess I have a question to ask you because you're the smartest guy I know and I know you wouldn't steer me wrong. A friend of mine has lost a lot in the past year and she's started hanging out with this guy who is usually totally not her type so she thought she was safe. But the last couple days she's found herself attracted to him and wondering what it might be like to be more than just friends with him. But she's scared to tell him because she doesn't want him to reject her." Spinelli's face fell. She was asking him for romantic advice and expecting him to be a good friend and be honest with her. And he would be, no matter how much it hurt. "Does your friend feel like she's ready to start a relationship again after all her losses?"

"Yeah, she does."

"Then she should tell him and let the chips fall where they may. Nothing ventured, nothing gained right?" He wondered who it was that Maxie could be talking about. She spent most of her time with him but he was sure that she would never see him as more than just a friend. Because of where he lived she spent a lot of time with Jason but would she really fall for him? It's not like he was very nice to her and vice versa. Then he thought back on what she'd told him about her relationships. They usually didn't start with a lot of care. Lucky had used her for drugs, Logan had used her for sex , and she met Cooper while he was holding her hostage. It was kind of her MO to go after guys who didn't treat her very nice. "Maximista the Jackal fears that he's going to invade your privacy here but I'm sure that your friend you're talking about is you. And I must warn you that your interest in Stone Cold would bring you nothing but heartache. Your age difference would be the least of your issues. Really the two of you can barely get along for my sake and his world is much to dangerous for you. Besides even though they don't broadcast their love Stone Cold is still very devoted to the Maternal One. He would never admit it but he's unready to move on, even after much time." Maxie looked at Spinelli confused by what he was saying. She didn't understand him a lot but this time she was completely thrown for a loop. "Spinelli, I'm not intersted in Jason. Why would you even think that?"

"You said that you were interested in someone that wasn't usually your type. I just figured that Stone Cold wouldn't fit your usual mold for a mate. I'm not sure who else you hang around with that fits that description." Maxie was shocked that it never even occurred to him that she might be talking about him. It said a lot about how he saw himself. "Spinelli, do you ever think of me as more than a friend."

"Maximista has made it clear that friendship is what she seeks from the Jackal. I would do nothing to disrupt the trust built between us."

"It's a simple yes or no question Spinelli. Do you ever think of me as more than a friend?"

"Yes. I suppose the Jackal has on occasion thought of what it would be like to be more than Maximista's friend. But I promise you it won't affect our friendship. I know how much it means to you that I'm not trying to start anything with you. Beyond anything else the Maximista is the Jackal's closest friend and I would never want to risk that."

"So I can tell you anything right?"

"Of course."

"This guy that I like, I'm scared to tell him how I feel. I'm worried that he won't like me. Or that at some point he'll realize he made a mistake by being with me. See this guy is really great. He's really funny and unique and totally different than anyone I've ever met. I suppose a year ago I wouldn't have even looked twice at him but now it's, it's like I don't understand why I didn't see him before. I can only assume it's because I was blind because he's just the greatest guy I've ever met. He's sweet and caring and he listens when I talk. He makes me feel special when I think that fate is just to cruel to leave me here. I don't want him to look at me and wonder why I would ever think a guy like him would want me. And I don't want him to be with me and then realize that I am exactly who I've always said I am." Spinelli listened as she talked and it dawned on him that She wasn't just talking about any random guy. She was talking about him. "Maximista, what are you trying to say to me?"

"I guess I'm trying to say that after our night on the town last night I found myself thinking of you as more than just Spinelli, my guy friend. It felt like there was magic between us and I started to think about what it would be like to be with you. Not sexually, yet, but what it might be like to date you. You're always so attentive and I just, it seems like it would be something nice to have. Someone who cares a lot about you and I've never dated a friend before. Cooper was kind of a friend but there was always an underlying attraction between up. With you I got to know you first and it was your personality that attracted me to you. The more I learned to like your personality the more attractive I found you. So...yeah. There's all that." She looked around the room, anywhere but at him. Waiting for his reaction was excrutiating even though he'd already admitted that he had thought of her as more than just a friend. "Is there anything you want to say? I did just kind of drop a bomb on you."

"I guess I don't understand. Yesterday you said that you appreciated how I wasn't trying to get more from you than friendship."

"I guess my feelings have been a little different for a while but I didn't really realize my feelings for you until last night."

"So you didn't recognize your feelings for me until I had changed my appearance?"

"I'm not going to lie to you Spinelli. I'm sure the clothes had an impact. Helped bring to light how great looking you really can be. Sometimes the skater boy clothes just aren't all that attractive. Especially if you're a woman looking for a man, not a boy. But it's how sweet you are with me that really made me stop to rethink how I feel about you. How careful you are to let me know that I'm special to you and not just a replacement for Lulu or Georgie. You make me feel important and I haven't had that in a while. I mean I'm definitely important to Mac and Robin, I think I was important to Coop but men tend to toss me aside. I'm not that sweet little virgin they want to take home to mom. So while they have no problem sleeping with me I usually am tossed aside for someone who's virtue is a little more intact. Or someone they believe is more virtuous. I do a lot of damage myself. I never quite believe people when they say they care so I test them. To the point that they leave because I've given them no other option. That's what happened with Coop. I had to test how he felt about me, see if he'd let me make a fool out of him and I was the loser. I like that you know all the terrible stuff I've done and since we've become friends I've not seen you judge me once. You accept me for who I am and that's important to me. So yeah the clothes were great but it was you I saw. I stopped looking at you like my buddy Spinelli and suddenly I could see you as more than that." Spinelli was touched by the words that she said. Rarely did people make him feel like he was important and like Maxie he generally believed that he was easily replaceable. She made him feel cherished and he was glad to know that he made her feel the same way. Especially since she was. But he was a man and he couldn't be made a fool of just because they were friends first. She had just said that she had a tendency to destroy the things she loved the most and he would hate for it to be their friendship that came crashing down around them. It seemed strange to him that just earlier that day he was planning on staying away from her because he thought she wouldn't ever care for him the way he cared for her and now he was wondering if he really could do it. If he could open up and be with her. "Maximista, you know that the Jackal cherishes you. But I have to be candid. I'm not sure I can put my heart out there knowing that you may decide to test me and see him much damage can be done before it breaks. I want to be able to trust that the tests that you put on Cooper were simply because you sensed that it wasn't right between you. Or that you sensed that he would not stay when you made a mistake. Without a doubt the Jackal could endure many things to be with his Fair Maximista but I am still a man who has his pride and I could not stay with you if you were to cheat on me. I don't know how I would be able to hold my head up, especially since so many already find the Jackal to be less than a man."

"Don't you know I could never hurt you? Before Georgie died I'd forgotten some of my hard learned lessons. I'd forgotten what loyalty meant. I don't know why. All I know is that after Jesse died something broke in me. All that mess with Lucky, it was the lowest point in my life but most of the time people don't see that. They don't recognize that Lucky wasn't the only one going through hell. He had lost his partner but so had I. Jesse was my partner and I loved him. When he died I had to make the decision to pull the plug, I had to make the decision to donate his organs. I cried that first night but after that it was hard. I didn't cry much and I just kind of went through the motions. Planning the funeral, picking the plot, making sure it was everything that he deserved. I shut myself down and I didn't really come back to life for a long time. Do you know where Lucky and I first kissed? On Jesse's grave. Lucky didn't bring back any life to me because everything we had was about death. I clung to him because he was Jesse's partner and I wasn't ready to let go. And I did a lot of really terrible things during that time. Things I completely regret. But they don't define me. With Coop I really cared about him. I think I probably even loved him. In fact I'm almost sure of it. But part of being with him was the fact that I had this secret with him. If I tell you do you promise not to tell anyone? Although I suppose it doesn't matter now anyway. I just don't want people to think badly of him."

"I promise Maximista the Jackal will never tell."

"When I was locked in the vault during the MetroCourt hostage crisis I was in there with a gunman. That gunman was Coop, 3. I don't think he would have ever hurt me. It was supposed to be just an in and out job. He had no idea it was going to turn into what it was. But Coop and I shared that secret which kind of bonded us together. He was kind of like a frest start after the whole Lucky debacle, and I screwed that up too. When he and Georgie died though it was like something changed in me. And then I started spending time with you and even more changed. I started really feeling bad about the things I'd done."

"Oh great. So the Jackal makes you feel bad. That's exactly how you want to make a girl feel."

"It is. Because the point is I was able to feel again and you helped feel like it was all in the past and I didn't have to be so cold to people. You helped me feel like maybe the whole world w asn't judging me. And then we just started having fun and you became my best friend. And then suddenly last night I realized you were more. You were more than just a pick me up or an ego boost. When I'm around you I feel. Which is big for me because I've spent so much of the last couple of years not feeling anything. The way you make me laugh. I've never laughed as much with anyone as I laugh with you. I'm not asking for an insta-relationship. I just want the opportunity to be with you and prove to you that I'm not gonna break your heart."

"Two things. You don't have to prove anything to me. Everyone makes mistakes in life, including the Jackal. And I would like to maybe try being more than just friends with Maximista but the Jackal wishes to take things slow. Not for fear that Maximista will hurt me, but just because I've never really had any kind of relationship. I pined for Fair Lulu and had carnal knowledge of Falsely Fair Jolene but the Jackal is quite inexperienced in matters of the heart. I just don't wish to move to quickly."

"I understand. But would a date be too much to ask?"

"I think a date could be arranged. But will Maximista allow the Jackal to ask her out in the future? I would aspire to wear the pants in our relationship. You deserve a man, not a child. So Maximista, will you go on a date with me?"

"I think I will." Maxie smiled at Spinelli and was astounded with how well things had gone. When she left Sam's she was almost certain that telling Spinelli how she felt about him would have disastrous results and now he was going to be planning their first date. "I'm going to get going but the Jackal will call Fair Maximista to make arrangements for their eagerly awaited for date." She walked him to the door and kissed his cheek good-bye. "Good-bye Spinelli. I'll talk to you later." She closed the door as he walked down the driveway and then she bounded upstairs to light some candles and run a bath. A terrible day had turned itself around and tonight she was looking forward to tomorrow.


	9. Chapter 9

Two days passed and Spinelli was having a difficult time thinking of plans for his date with Maxie. He didn't want to do the typical dinner and a movie but he wasn't sure just how out there he should go. Dinner for two at Medieval Times in the city probably wouldn't cut it. For the first time he wished that he and Maxie hadn't had that perfect night in Manhattan. If only she'd come to the conclusion she was interested in him before they went to see a show and take a walk in the city. They'd had the best first date ever, except it wasn't a date. Worse than that he now had to follow that evening with something spectacular. Everything he thought of seemed completely unoriginal or platonic. For a moment he wondered if he wasn't having such a difficult time making a decision about what to do because the date was never supposed to happen. It wasn't something he wanted to think about but he couldn't help it. It's not like he really knew what to do with a girl of that caliber. Or a girl of any caliber as dating wasn't something that he had done very often. This was all new to him and the fact that she was quite possibly one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen did nothing to dimish his anxiety. It had been one thing wanting her when he knew that there was no possibility of her wanting him back but now he wasn't sure what to think. Maxie was without a doubt someone he could see himself spending a lot of time with but he was afraid that at some point she would get tired of him and move on. That was something he didn't know if he could handle. When he loved he loved with everything in him. The thought of her not loving him back at some point was more than he could stand to think about. He walked to the kitchen, got into the refrigerator to get an orange soda when it finally hit him. He knew exactly what he was going to do. Spinelli called Maxie and found himself very disappointed that he got her voicemail. Logically he knew that she was unavailable. Today was her job interview with Kate Howard and he knew that she would be extremely nervous. He wished that he'd thought to send her flowers or something but his mind had been so focused on their date that he hadn't thougt of it until it was too late. Now he was listening to her perky voice telling him to leave a message after the tone. "Maximista. It is I, the Jackal. I have our plans for our date and I wanted to know when would be the best time for you. I truly think Fair Maximista will be impressed. Give me a call when you get this." He hung up the phone and began to make arrangements for the big date. Two hours later Spinelli's phone vibrated in his pants pockets and he quickly pulled it out. He had been anxiously awaiting her call and the hours had seemed to go by at a snails pace. He checked the caller id and was thrilled to see that it was indeed Maximista. He flipped it open and spoke. "Greetings Fair One. I have been waiting for what seems like forever for your call."

"Oh yeah? Why, what's up?"  
"The Jackal has come up with the perfect plan for our date."

"Perfect huh? You sound pretty confident about that."

"That I am. If it's alright with you the Jackal will pick Maximista up for our date tomorrow night at five pm."

"What should I wear?"

"Something casual. This date isn't quite as glamorous as the last time we went out on the town."

"Sounds good. Do I get to know what we're doing?"

"No. The Jackal wishes to surprise his Maxiimista. Just be ready in casual clothing. I'll pick you up." With that Spinelli hung up to put his plans for the next night in motion. The first thing he did was contact a friend of his to set everything up and then set about getting the necessary ingredients to the perfect night. He started out by picking up barbeque chips and orange soda. It wouldn't be a date with Damian Spinelli without those two things. Next he called Jason to ask for use of one of the black hummers that he drove. He knew that that was one of Maxie's vehicle and he had to admit that he liked the design of it as well. It certainly was unobtrusive, something that a PI must always be. He called all the proper locations and waited anxiously for the next evening. He knew that it was bound to be a long night and next day. He couldn't wait for his first date with his Fair Maximista and time couldn't move fast enough for him.

After what seemed like a week it was finally time for Spinelli to pick Maxie up and for their date to begin. He stopped at the florists on the way and bought her a dozen red and white roses with babies breath sprinkled throughout. He took the time to make sure that each individual flower was perfect in and of itself. Together the bouquet had to be exquisite. Once he'd paid he went back out to the car and headed off to the Scorpio house to pick up Maxie. He wasn't necessarily looking forward to the inevitable confrontation with her father but it would be worth it to spend the evening knowing that she was with him, and that it's where she wanted to be. With that knowledge he was sure he could face anything. As he parked the hummer in Maxie's driveway he summoned up all his nerve and all his confidence. He didn't know what he was so nervous about. This was Maxie, his Maxie. She was the one person in the world that he felt at ease with. He could be himself around her at all times and she still cared for him anyways. He hoped that she wouldn't be disappointed in their date but the fear was always there. She was a challenge, a good one, but a challenge none the less. He couldn't stand the thought that their night together would be marred by anything. He grabbed the flowers from the passenger seat and jumped out of the drivers seat. He counted each step he took to the door to help relieve his anxiety and pushed the doorbell as hard as he could. He didn't know why he pushed it so hard, especially when Mac opened the door, clearly irritated. "Spinelli, we knew you were coming. Must you be so hard on the doorbell?"  
"I'm sorry Mr. Scorpio sir. The Jackal is more nervous than he anticipated. Is the Fair Maximista ready for our evening?"  
"She's still getting dressed upstairs. Come in and have a seat on the couch. Before she comes down I want to have a talk with you." Spinelli was worried about what this talk might entail. The top cop had never really warmed to the Jackal and made no bones about the fact he didn't want his daughter anywhere near him. The thought that they were now considering embarking on a romantic relationship must really be upsetting him. He set his messenger bag at his side on the couch and looked at the commissioner expectantly. "Mr. Spinelli, I doubt it's a surprise to you to know that I am not happy about this latest turn of events between you and my daughter. I was unhappy with the fact you were friends, and my views on the matter haven't changed now that she's insisting on dating you. I think you're a criminal and my daughter could do much better. However from the time she returned from boarding school she's made it very clear that I don't have a say in her personal life. So I have something to ask of you."

"Anything sir."

" Cancel your date and tell her that you don't want to see her anymore."

"Mr Scorpio sir I'm not sure I understand. You want me to just leave Maximista behind? I realize I said anything but that is out of the realm of possibility. The Jackal could never leave Maximista. It's just not in him to do so."

"Spinelli, I'm not asking you because I don't like you. You seem like a nice enough guy but you work for Jason Morgan. He's the right hand man to the biggest mobster in New York, and my daughter isn't safe."

"The Jackal would never allow anyone to hurt his fair Maximista. I would defend her to the death."

"That's what I'm afraid of. That her attachment to you is going to end up with her death. I've already lost one daughter this year. I can't lose another. I didn't object when Georgie was spending time with you because I wanted her to be happy and you seemed to make her that way. But Maxie's happiness is not more important to me than her life. I learned that lesson the hard way. I understand that it probably seems like I'm trying to run Maxie's life but I'm not. I'm just protecting her from the same fate that Georgie had." Both of them were so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn't noticed that Maxie was standing outside the door listening to every word being said but both heads turned as she walked into the room. Barely acknowledging Spinelli she walked straight to her father. "Mac, Daddy, you know how much I love you. You know how sorry I am that we lost Georgie. But Spinelli's here and he's not going to go anywhere. I wouldn't want him to."

"But Maxie, you're not safe with him. What happens when you're with him and one of Jason's enemies try to get to him through Spinelli? I can't stand the thought of you getting caught in the crossfire. I can't lose you. I've just lost one daughter and I can't lose another. Besides Robin you're all I have left."  
"I know Daddy but heaven knows I'm not some princess you can lock up in some ivory tower. I live and that's what's important to me. I didn't get this heart to just sit around playing it safe. It would be really easy for me to sit on the couch eating ice cream and letting life pass me by. It's thanks to you, Robin and Spinelli that I even get out of bed everyday. I don't want to just hide out in case something bad happens because one thing I've learned is bad things can happen anywhere, anytime. Cooper was just standing in his bedroom. Georgie was just standing in the park. Letitia was standing in Carly's living room. They weren't putting themselves in harms way. They were going about their life and living. And that's what I intend to do. Until I have no more life left to live. I don't want to worry you Daddy but Spinelli would never let anything happen to me. He would do whatever he could to protect me."

"This is true missioner sir. What the Jackal lacks in manly prowess he makes up for in determination. And I am determined to never allow any harm to come to Maximista."

"I suppose there's nothing I can say is there Maxie."  
"No Daddy. There's really not. I care about Spinelli and this is happening. I am going to be dating him and I really hope that you're not going to make it uncomfortable for him every time he comes to the house. It would make me even happier if you could even find a way to like him. Because he's a really likeable guy dad." She turned to look behind her at Spinelli and flashed him a smile before looking back at her father. When she looked back Mac looked her in the eyes and he could see that she was already gone. The smile was in her eyes and the sparkle was there clear as day. His girl was already gone. He wasn't sure if Maxie or Spinelli even realized it yet but she had most definitely stumbled headlong into love. He couldn't say he was thrilled about it but if she was happy then he would try to be happy for her. "Well now that I've done the obligatory dad grilling the date thing I think I'm going to excuse myself. I have some work I have to do before I head back to work tomorrow." He left the room and they were finally alone in the room together for the first time since Spinelli arrived. He was dressed in a pair of nice blue jeans, a black polo shirt and pair of black converse sneakers. He looked her up and down and was glad that she had taken his instructions seriously. She was dressed in a dark denim jeans, and a solid black fitted t-shirt. The only thing that didn't match his description of the casual attire he wanted was the pair of black, pointy toed shoes she was wearing. "You look lovely Maximista. The Jackal should have known that you could make even a casual outfit look red carpet ready."

"Spinelli, you're so sweet. So what are we doing?"

"We're going bowling." He watched as her face fell and wondered if he was doing the right thing. Women were tricky creatures and he didn't want to do anything to screw his relationship with Maxie up. Especially not over something as unimportant as the surprise he had planned for her. Maybe he should just come clean about what his plans really were. He looked up at her again and saw that a smile had spread over her face again and she looked genuinely happy. "Whatever you want to do Spinelli is fine with me. Just as long as we're together." Spinelli smiled and offered her his arm. She took it and together they walked out to the hummer. "Spinelli, I know this isn't your car. Did you borrow from Jason again?"

"Yeah. I thought that Maximista would enjoy driving in a luxury vehicle."

"Maximista would enjoy driving in a car with a bench seat so I could sit next to you."

"Then I guess it's a good thing that this particular vehicle does indeed have a heated bench seat." She smiled as he opened the passenger door and offered her his hand to help her into the vehicle. She had no idea how she had lucked in to such a gentleman but she had no intention of letting him go. Spinelli ran around the vehicle and jumped in next to her. She scooted close as he pulled out of the driveway and they headed off into what she hoped would be the night of their lives.


	10. Chapter 10

Maxie and Spinelli pulled into the parking lot of the bowling alley but she was surprised to find that the lot was empty. It didn't even look like the owners were there. She was about to open the door when Spinelli took her other hand and simply shook his head. He opened his door, jumped out of the vehicle and ran around to her side of the car. "The Jackal will be getting all your doors tonight Maximista. This is a date, not just another night out for us. Please allow me to treat you like the lady you are." She looked at him and saw the sincerity filling his eyes. She never imagined she could hurt him by simply trying to open the door for herself but she guessed she did keep forgetting that they weren't just buddies out on the town tonight. They were on a date, their first date, and she needed to let him act like the man. She offered him her hand and he helped her out of the vehicle. She couldn't help but notice that he kept his hand on the small of her back as he guided her to the door. She stepped back and allowed him to open the door for her. When she stepped inside she was astonished by what she saw. The lights were off but twinkle lights were hung floor to ceiling on every wall, run throughtout every plant, and on the lanes. The whole room was lit up with a golden glow. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. She thought back to her reaction when he told her they were going bowling on their date and felt a tinge of remorse. This was Spinelli. Of course he would have made an everyday date activity into an event. He stepped behind the counter and flipped the radio on. The music was light and every song was sweet and romantic. There was no doubt in her mind that he had made the cd just for their evening together. She would never have imagined that he would be able to make going bowling into a romantic activity but she had to admit that this was the most romantic thing someone had done for her. Jesse had gotten her a birthday cake and served it to her in a shut down Kelly's one year but she suspected it was because he had forgotten her birthday and was scrambling to cover it. Not because he had put a lot of time and thought into it. This she knew Spinelli had put a lot of time and energy into making it special. "Spinelli, this is beautiful. Who besides you would see a bowling alley and know just how to make it the most romantic date of a girls life?" She smiled at him and held out her hand. "Dance?" He took the hand she offered him and stepped close to her. He put his other arm around her waist and pulled her close while she lay her head on his shoulder. The music floated over them. _Incompatible, it don't matter though 'cos someone's __bound to hear my cry. Speak out if you do.you're not easy to find. Is it possible Mr. Loveable is already in my life? Right in front of me or maybe you're in disguise. _Maxie pulled herself closer to him and they swayed in time together. She truly felt like she had finally find the one, and he was right here in front of her. She was so thankful that she had opened her eyes and seen what a gift she'd been given. It would have been so easy to hold back her feelings out of fear that she would inevitably screw things up. _Who doesn't long for __someone to hold. Who knows how to love you without being told. Somebody tell me why I'm on my own if there's a soulmate for everyone. _She had never believed in soulmates until Damian Spinelli, and now she knew that they truly existed. He truly was her soulmate. She supposed she could have lived without meeting him but she was so thankful that she didn't have to. _Here we are again, circles never end. How do I find the perfect fit there's enough for everyone but I'm still waiting in line. _Spinelli closed his eyes as his Maximista leaned into him. It felt so good to have her here in his arms. _Who doesn't long for someone to hold? Who knows how to love you without being told. Somebody tell me why I'm on my __own if there's a soulmate for everyone. _He had dreamt of what it would be like to have her in his arms before but he had been so sure that she would never see him as anything more than her friend Spinelli. If he was honest with himself he knew that a girl like him would never want a guy like him. And then she had turned his world upside down by not only wanting him, but being the one to make the first move. He had never expected it but he was so thankful that it had happened. _Most relationships seem so transitory. They're all good __but not the permanent one. _They'd both cared for others before. She'd had loves that had left and he'd had loves that had gone unrequited, either on their part or his. Somehow neither had truly felt that another person could love them for who they really were and were now realizing that people loving them was possible. It was a fact of their life now that they had someone there that cared for them and it was astounding. The song ended and they stepped apart. "Ready for some bowling? I've only got us set up for one game because we have other plans tonight as well."

"I'm ready. I'm not the best at bowling but I'll give it the old college try. Let me guess though. The Jackal is a pro."

"Not really. I've studied a bit a couple of summers ago but I never really got all that into it. I was doing it simply to impress a girl. Turns out it was a lesson in futility."

"No, I don't think so. You can use what you learned then to impress this girl. Even though I'm already impressed by you." They each grabbed a pair of shoes and moved down to the floor. Spinelli took his shot first and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that you could not gain skill from reading from a book. Each time he knocked down a pin Maxie threw her arms around him and gave him a big hug. Just keeping the ball out of the gutter was a big feat for both of them. Once the game was over Maxie looked at him and smiled. His face was flush and his eyes were dancing. He looked incredibly happy and she knew if she were to look her face would mirror his. It had been years since she'd had such a good time and not thought about anything besides having fun. He made her feel like a woman, a cherished woman, but a little kid again at the same time. She never knew that anyone could make her feel like that. She was sure she was too jaded and here some Spinelli, someone she would never have thought of being with in a million years, and he stripped away all the layers of cynicism. He made her feel like this was the first time she'd had the butterflies in her stomach or the fear of saying the wrong thing in case he wouldn't like her anymore. And then she'd remember that this was Spinelli and she could never do anything bad enough to make him leave. "So are you ready for the next part of our date?"

"Yeah."

"Go into the bathroom. There's a dress hanging in there for you. Change into that." She gave him a funny look and said, "What? You don't like my outfit?"

"I love what you're wearing but it might be a little too casual for the next part of our evening."

"Ohhh. Alright." She walked off to the bathroom and found a black dress bag hanging on the door. Even though she wanted to trust his judgement she was a little concerned about what he decided would be a good outfit for her. She cautiously lowered the zipper and drew a deep breath. When she looked at the dress she was stunned at what she saw. It was the most beautiful dress she'd ever seen. She thought maybe he'd had help and then she wondered why she was surprised. This was Spinelli. He knew her better than anyone else in the world so why woudn't he know her taste in clothes. She unbuttoned her jeans and slipped out of them and pulled her top over her head. Now that she saw the dress she was glad she had decided to wear her strapless bra. The others would not have worked with this dress. She pulled it out of the dress bag and admired it on the hanger before taking it off. She lifted it over her head and lowered it over her body. The chiffon skirt floated over her body and from the way it looked like it was going to fit like a glove. She looked in the mirror as she zipped the dress up and was stunned. The dress fit her like it was made for her. It had a pleated charmeuse bodice above a bead-encrusted mesh inset and a flirty chiffon skirt in a beautiful ruby red color. The color reminded her of a dress by Nila Lorente that she had seen on the cover of Couture magazine a few months back. If she had been able to choose a dress for herself this would have been the dress she chose. She added a splash of red lipstick and tucked her blonde hair behind one ear. She was greatful she hadn't done something drastically casual with her hair since she hadn't known about this part of the plan. On the floor was a pair of a pair of red heels. She slid them on, checked herself in the mirror one more time, and walked out of the bathroom door. Leaning against the counter was Spinelli, wearing the suit that he wore when they went to Manhattan, looking down at the floor. He looked just as good tonight as he did that night. Like before she felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight of him. That was happening more and more now. Unlike before though she realized that she thought he looked just as good in his street clothes, because they were a part of who he was. "Spinelli?" He looked up at her and smiled. "Maximista, you look gorgeous. I knew that dress would look wonderful. Then again you look great in everything that you wear." She did a little spin for him and he offered his hand to her. She took and looked at him questioningly. "So what's next?"

"I'm going to give you the world." They walked out the door and climbed back into the hummer. They drove and drove until they came to the end of a road. He stopped the car and reached over to the glovebox. He pulled out a satin sleepmask and handed it to her. "I don't want to frighten you but I don't want you to see your surprise before I give it to you. Would you mind putting it on?"

"A little kinky don't you think?"

"Maximista, that's not what the Jackal meant. I would never want to put your honor in jeopardy." She chuckled a little when he mentioned her honor but then realized that he really did see her virtue as intact. He had given her a clean slate and didn't hold any of her previous mistakes against her. It was such a rare thing to find in a man. She slipped themask over her eyes and he put the car in drive again. After driving about five minutes they pulled up to a field. He again put the car in park and got out to open the door for her. He took her hand and guided her out of the vehicle. Once her feet were firmly on the ground he guided her across the field. They stopped after walking for about five minutes and he took the blindfold off her eyes. When she saw what was in front of her she gasped. The first thing she saw was a hot air balloon and then she saw a romantic table set for two. The candles were flickering on the table and she heard violins playing, presumably from a cd player hidden out of sight. "Spinelli, oh my gosh. This is beyond my wildest dreams. When you saidyou were going to give me the world I didn't realize that you could actually do it."

"I'm glad Maximista is happy."

"I'm not happy Spinelli. I am over the moon. No man has ever made me feel more cherished than you've made me feel tonight. Just the bowling would have been good enough for me because I was with you. This is just...I don't even have the words." He walked to the table and pulled out her chair for her. She sat and realized there were no plates on the table. He sat down across from her and pulled out his cell phone. He made a quick call and suddenly people appeared out of nowhere. They were in the middle of an abandoned field but somehow he had managed to hide an entire wait staff, including violinists. The music was live, not from a cd player like she had previously assumed. Waiters came out carrying plates on their trays. She noticed one very handsome waiter eyeing her but she didn't give him a second look. She had no reason to look for something new. She had what she wanted sit right across from her. The waiters took the covers off their food and she saw her favorite meal from Kelly's. On Spinelli's plate was a grilled cheese sandwich and barbeque potatoe chips. She couldn't resist reaching across the table and snaking one of his chips from his plate. When they'd first started hanging out she didn't like them but like Spinelli they'd grown on her. They ate their meal in comfortable silence, neither fearing that the other wasn't speaking. Most of their connection was something that didn't really require words. It was just there. It was like the air, all around them. The music from the violins floated over them and soon their meal was over. The wait staff cleared the dishes from the tables and as quickly as they'd appeared they disappeared. It was almost like magic. "How did you do all this Spinelli?"

"I don't wish to ruin the mystique by telling Fair Maximista."

"You couldn't. There's nothing that could be done to ruin this."

"The Valkyrie lent me some of her wait staff and I placed an order at Kelly's and had the delivery address set to here. It's an old army base that they close a long time ago. But it has open fields so I thought it would be the perfect place for our date."

"It is."

"Are you ready for the ride in the hot air balloon?"

"Absolutely." He pulled out his phone again and this time when he hung up he said that it would be a few minutes before the person who would be guiding the balloon arrived. In the meantime they sat back down at the table and began to talk. "Have you heard anything more about the text message killer?"

"Unfortunately no. The Jackal seems to be at a dead end. It seems unfair that I can find information on just about anything but nothing about the person that has been killing our friends and your family."

"I know you're doing everything you can Spinelli. I don't doubt that for a second. At some point this person's gonna slip up and you're gonna be there. You're going to find them." He smiled at her confidence and took her hand. The sadness that he so often saw had returned to her eyes during the conversation and he was hoping that the touch of his hand would help to guide it away. He didn't want their date marred by anything, least of all the lunatic that was terrorizing Port Charles. She squeezed his hand and saw the car that the hot air balloon driver was in approach. She got out and walked over to the young couple. "Damian Spinelli I assume."

"Yes. You can just call me Spinelli. And this is my date Maxie Jones." The young woman extended her hand to Maxie but never took her eyes off Spinelli. Although his attention was fully on Maxie he did feel the young woman's eyes on him. Once Maxie had taken possession of her hand back she slid her arm around Spinelli's waist, staking her claim. She was no stranger to women and she knew what the look the girl was giving him meant. "So are you going up in the balloon with us?"

"Yes, I'll be directing it's location."

"I see. You're being paid correct?"

"Of course. It's my job." Maxie nodded and the girl finally got the message that Maxie was subliminally sending her. This is my man. You're getting paid for this so keep to yourself. The three of them climbed on board the hot air balloon and the girl set about preparation for lift off. After about ten minutes she finally fired it up and the ropes were released. The balloon floated upward and Maxie stood near the side so she could see the ground go further and further from her. As they rose she felt Spinelli by her side, drinking in Port Charles and the beauty of the surrounding area. After half an hour or so Spinelli reached into a cooler and pulled out two champagne flutes and a bottle of champage. She was sure that it was the best that he could find, since he had seemingly spared no expense on the evening. Once he'd poured the drinks he handed her flute back to her and lifted his upwards. She followed suit and he said, "To our first date. May tonight be the first of many wonderful nights together." They clinked their glasses together and took a sip of their champagne. Maxie turned back to the side of the balloon and looked down. From the distance she saw her house far below them. "Spinelli, come here. You can see my house." He came to her side and looked down. He actually wasn't sure that was her house but she seemed so excited that he decided not to ruin it by telling her that they were probably far beyond the perimeters of Port Charles at the moment. Instead he just slipped his arm around her waist and looked down at the world below them. "This is incredible Spinelli. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, our town from way up here. You certainly do know how to make a girl feel special."

"Maximista is special. Not just to the Jackal either. You don't see it but you light up every room that you go into. You're radiant and gorgeous. Men can't help but want you and I just feel blessed that you've chosen me tonight."

"Not just tonight Spinelli. This isn't going to be it for us."

"No, I don't believe it will be. I just want you to be aware of the fact that you're incredible. That being with you is something I wanted that I never thought that I would get." He took her hand and laced his fingers with hers, keeping the other arm around her waist. He liked having her close to him, knowing that she wanted to be there. That she wasn't going to jump away and tell him that this was all a mistake. As they floated over Port Charles they were both struck by the wonder of it all. The sun began setting and Maxie was in awe of the sight in front of her. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen and Spinelli had given this to her. He'd said all the right things and the date had been more than she could have ever imagined. She was well aware that the night must be coming to a close but she wasn't ready to see it end yet. She hoped there was more, even though this was more than enough. With any other man she would invite him back to her house to spend the night but with Spinelli she wanted to take it slow. She wanted to be a real lady and let him court her because that's what he wanted to do. She took a step closer to him and leaned back into the arm around her waist. This would be the perfect moment for him to kiss her. She wanted him to but she wasn't sure that he would. "Mr. Spinelli, we're going to be landing soon."

"Thank you." The young woman set about preparing to take the balloon back down to the ground but Spinelli's attention never shifted away from Maxie. She still stared out at the distance, giving him the perfect opportunity to drink her in. Her hair, shining and perfect, her creamy skin with not a blemish in sight, her long legs and the perfect way she filled out the dress. She looked away from the horizon and saw him looking at her. "What's up?"

"Nothing. I just can't get over how beautiful you look." She smiled and turned back to the skyline. Again words weren't really necessary between them. They were completely at ease with each other and neither of them felt that words could enhance what they were saying with their hearts. As the balloon settled on the ground Spinelli began packing up the champagne flutes and put the champagne back into the picnic basket that he'd had waiting for her in the balloon. The young woman who had driven the ride opened the door of the basket and Spinelli stepped out offering Maxie his hand. She was getting used to seeing his hand outstretched in front of her. It was comforting, knowing that he was always one step ahead of her taking everything coming their way first. She had wrongly assumed that she would need to be the person to take charge in her and Spinelli's relationship but he was very good in the dominate position. He had a romantic streak a mile wide and yet he never made her feel like what she wanted wasn't important. She had no doubt there would be plenty of dates where they made the plans together or she made them alone. But for tonight he had wanted to treat her and make her feel like a queen, and he's succeeded. They got in the car and headed back to the commissioners house. Neither wanted the date to end but it was getting late and they knew that they would see each other the next day. She was excited that there was this new element to this relationship and although she was nervous of what people would think she was excited to take their relationship public. "Maximista, I think we should take things very slowly to start. I don't want to do anything to damage our friendship and I fear that moving too quickly would do just that."

"Okay."

"Maybe we should keep the fact that we're dating quiet for a little bit. Just until we know whether it's going to be work or not."

"Are you doubting?"

"Not at all. But I don't want to listen to people telling us we're wrong. You know Lulu's going to have an opinion. Possibly Robin. I think you may have settled Mac down but I get the feeling he doesn't think it will work anyways. I just want to wait to see how things are going before we share our relationship with a town that has an opinion on everything."

"I understand. I don't like it but I get it." They pulled up to her house and Spinelli parked in the driveway. He hesitated for a moment like he was unsure of what to do and then he jumped out of the car and ran around to the passenger side to open the door for her. He helped her out of the car but didn't release her hand as they walked to her door. Maxie stopped at the doorway and took a deep breath. The night had been perfect but this was the moment that was going to change everything. This was the moment that was going to take them from friends to something more. Neither of them noticed Mac standing at the living room window watching the scene that was unfolding on his front porch. He'd stopped waiting up for his girls years ago but something felt different with Maxie and Spinelli. He got the feeling that she was more serious about him than she'd been about the other guys she'd been with. For the first time he wished that he could have Cooper or Jesse back for her. He'd never liked the idea of her with a cop because it was too dangerous. But it was far less dangerous than her being involved with a hacker that worked for the local mob boss. He looked at the couple on the porch, still holding hands, and felt like he was invading a very private moment. He let the curtain drop and walked silently up the steps to his bedroom. His daughter was a grown woman now and he was going to have to learn to trust her judgement. Back on the front porch Maxie waited for Spinelli to speak but he didn't. He just reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She looked in his eyes and saw the feelings for her there. She wondered why she hadn't seen them before the last few days. Had they not been there or had he been a master at hiding his feelings? She didn't know and she really didn't care. They were there now and that's all she cared about. She lifted her head just a little as he lowered his head to meet her. Finally their lips met. There was passion in the kiss but she was more taken aback by the tenderness she felt there as well. She slid her arms around his neck as he put his arms around her waist, their lips never seperating for a moment. This was how a kiss was supposed to be. Not just lips touching, but hearts touching. She felt herself stumble further into whatever it was she felt for him and it made her completely happy. There was no fear of losing him like there had been in the past and there was no fear that he would leave. After a few minutes the kiss ended and he stepped away from her. "It was a lovely night Maximista. The Jackal hopes we can do it again."

"Of course Spinelli. That would be fabulous. But can we still meet for lunch tomorrow?"

"Yeah." He smiled that adorable grin that she had come to love and stepped down off the steps. He walked to the car and before he got in she blew him a kiss. He smiled again, climbed into the car, and drove off. Maxie walked into the house and directly into the kitchen. On the table was the flowers he'd given her in a beautiful vase. Due to Mac's interrogation they were given little fan fair when she received them but she now took the opportunity to look at them. Each flower was perfect, beautiful. She had no doubt that he had made sure of it before he brought them to her. He had taken care of everything down to the very last detail and given her the most magical evening of her life. She ran upstairs and paused outside of Mac's bedroom door. She so badly wanted to be able to tell him every detail about how wonderful it had been but she knew how he felt about Spinelli and didn't feel comfortable telling him how happy he'd made her that night. So she continue on to her room and shut the door behind her. She leaned against the door with a huge smile on her face. She felt as though she'd been in a dream all night and even now she was still walking on air. She changed into her pajamas and crawled into her bed. As she lay there waiting for sleep to take her she played the night over and over in her mind cherishing every memory. She had no doubt that she would have beautiful dreams that night.


	11. Chapter 11

When Spinelli got back to the penthouse after his date with Maxie the first thing he did was check his computer. He was on cloud nine but he still had work that he had to do. In fact he had technically been working all through his date, as his computer was always on alert for new clues. It had been months since Georgie's death but he was still determined to find her killer. Not just for Maxie but for himself as well. He wanted to know that the person that took his friend from him was no longer out there living the life that Georgie would never live again. It was unacceptable. He opened his laptop and looked at his screen. There was an alert and he quickly realized that the alert was for the text message killer case file. He double clicked on it and the file popped open. He read through the document that was on the screen and was not completely surprised by what he saw. Logan Hayes. The facts were all laid out neatly in front of him. Logan's alibi for the night of the first murder had fallen through. It turned out the woman that he said he'd been with had come into about a thousand dollars within twenty four hours of her statement. He also had finally been able to crack into his sealed military records and found out the horrible truth about what happened in Iraq. Apparently he'd been dating a young Iraqi woman while he was there even though it was frowned upon. The rub had been that she was engaged to be married to a soldier on the opposing side. When her fiancée found out about it he sent the girl to his parents in a town far away so Logan could never see him. From that moment Logan had made it his mission to find her. He'd done everything he could, including selling weapons on the black market for money to travel across the country during his times that he wasn't on duty. When he did finally find her he found her in bed with her fiancées brother. She had led him to believe that she was a virgin and that she was only with her fiancée because her parents had demanded she marry him because of his family's status. She had told him that she loved him but he stood outside the door listening to her whisper to the guy she was in bed with that she loved him, always had and always would. He never confronted her. But the next day both her and the man she was with were found strangled in their bed, by a telephone cord. Following the autopsy it had been revealed that she was pregnant. They had the young man's body who she was in bed with so they ran a DNA test and it wasn't a match. Logan found out she was pregnant and the man she'd been in bed with wasn't the father. He confessed to the whole relationship but they could never prove that it was Logan completely. But there was enough suspicion on him that he was given a dishonorable discharge and sent back to the states. He was supposed to receive psychological help when he got back but instead he had fallen off the radar. Until he showed up in Port Charles. On more than one occasion since he'd arrived in town he'd shown his violent temper. A few times even on Spinelli himself. But the most deplorable had been the times he'd physically and verbally assaulted Maxie. That hadn't been the only clues that had been found though. Months before Maxie had found a valentines day gift for her from the Clean-cut Cadet wrapped in red paper. She had been about to throw out the paper when she saw writing on it in black marker. She'd given it to Spinelli and it had finally pulled up a match. A P.O. Box. Spinelli wrote down the box number, grabbed his computer and headed to the local post office. He knew that he was going to have to override the lock system on the boxes so he could get into it, which was very illegal. It didn't matter though. He needed to find out what was in that box. When he arrived he overrode the camera and alarm system from the car and carried the computer in with him. With his flashlight he searched the box numbers and then overrode the system unlocking all the P.O. boxes in that row. Logan's box opened and he finally got the confirmation he'd been looking for. In the box were pictures of all the women who'd been killed and all the ones that he'd attempted to kill. Some had writing on them, as if trying to justify what he was doing by labeling the women. And then there was a picture of Cooper. It had been wrapped in tissue paper at the back of the box as if it were some kind of keepsake. It was the only photo that looked like maybe he'd had some feelings for one of the victims. The other photos had just been tossed in the box. He sifted through the photos and then realized that he probably shouldn't be standing in the middle of the post office looking through the box. He took the box, locked the locker and exited the post office. He reactivated the alarms and drove away. When he got back to the penthouse he opened the box again and took more time to look through it. There was a phone cord in there and a black ski mask. He had for a moment believed that Logan had just snapped and was doing this randomly but now the evidence was mounting that each of the murders had been premeditated. He picked up the phone and called Maxie's house. The phone rang a few times and Mac answered the phone. "Mac."

"Hey Mac. This is Spinelli."

"Maxie's upstairs. Do you want me to call her?"

"No. Well eventually but I actually called to talk to you." "What about?"

"Hypothetical question. If someone were to find information about the text message killer but had to use illegal methods to find it would the law abiding ones find a way to use it, and make it admissible in court?"

"What did you find out Spinelli?"

"Like I said Mr. Commissioner sir my methods were not completely legal."

"I'll figure out a way to make it work, even if I have to lie about how I got the information. I want to know who killed my daughter and I want them put away. I want them gone."

"It's Logan Hayes sir."

"Logan? Are you sure?"

"I have more than one piece of evidence that is more than circumstantial."

"Maxie and I will be over as soon as possible. I want to see this evidence. " Before Spinelli could speak again the phone went dead and he heard a dial tone.

About twenty minutes later Spinelli heard a banging on the living room door. He briefly thought of teasing the top cop about beating on the door the way he had earlier but thought better of it. He opened the door and Maxie threw herself through it into his arms. "Spinelli, you did it. I can't believe you did it. What am I saying? Of course you did it. " She buried her face in his neck and he put his arms around her, holding her close. It didn't really matter to him that the top cop was standing right there. Maxie needed him and he wasn't going to turn her away. "Spinelli, can you show us what you found that makes you so sure Logan killed my daughter." Spinelli took Maxie's hand and laced his fingers with hers before leading her to the couch. Mac followed behind not focused on anything besides the knowledge that the man who had been killing women all over town, the man who tried to kill both of his daughters and succeeded with one, was going to be brought to justice once and for all. He was uncomfortable with the idea of being grateful to a man who was for lack of a better word a criminal but he was. Maxie had told him time and again that Spinelli was brilliant and this only served to prove her point. He would forever be appreciative of what he'd done. "The Jackal has managed to hack into the simian one's sealed military and think you should read for yourself. There was never any charges filed but they seem to have a pretty strong reason for believing it happened the way they said otherwise they would never have dismissed him from his duties. " Mac and Maxie read over the document on the computer silently and finally both looked up. "How could no one have told us this? I know that the DA has access to sealed military records. Why didn't they look into him?"

"Hopefully I'm not overstepping Mr. Commissioner but perhaps it's because many of the law abiding ones in this town look only at Mr. Sir and Stone Cold as suspects and tend to look no further. Half of the legal team in this town have an axe to grind with them and let their personal feelings get in the way of doing their jobs properly. I know that Special Prosecutor Scott Baldwin wouldn't hesitate to fudge facts or hide things to protect his son. Especially given some of the things that he himself has done." Maxie threw him a hidden glance, knowing exactly what he was talking about. The year before they had learned that it was Scott Baldwin that had murdered Rick Webber and let Laura take the blame. While Spinelli had wanted to go to the police with the information Maxie had used it to her own advantage and tried to blackmail him with it. Not her finest moment. Mac knew nothing about that though. "Are you saying that I'm running a corrupt police department Spinelli?"

"No sir. You're not running a corrupt police department. You've just got a few cops, and lawyers that are a little crooked. They use their badge as a weapon instead of a shield." Mac wanted to argue with the young man but he knew that he was right. For years now several of his officers had used their badge to get the outcome they desired and had given his department a bad name. The citizens of his town felt safer in the hands of a mobster than in the hands of the police department. To be honest he was surprised that Spinelli had called him with the information he'd found out. It was probably just to get closer to Maxie but he didn't care if it meant bringing Georgie's killer to justice. "Sir that's not the only evidence that I have. But I'd like your promise that you won't arrest me for how I got it. It was a pretty serious crime."

"Okay Spinelli. You have my word." Spinelli showed him the contents of the PO Box and watched as they sifted through it like he had earlier. "How did you get this?"

"I don't think you want to know. It involved a lot of illegal activity and the top cop has shown a general disdain for the Jackals less than legal activities."

"I suppose you're right. At least that way I won't have to lie about not knowing how you got your hands on all this information. I think I'm going to go ahead and take this evidence down to the station and get a warrant for Logan's arrest. Finally we can get this murderer off the street." Mac stood up and looked back down to Maxie, who still hadn't let go of Spinelli's hand. "Let's go Maxie."

"I'm going to stay here with Spinelli for awhile."

"Maxie…" Maxie jumped up from her spot on the couch and looked her dad square in the eyes. She was tired of him constantly trying to undermine her relationship with Spinelli, friendship or otherwise. "Dad, he found Georgie's killer. Isn't that enough for you? He didn't use me for drugs, or constantly play a back and forth game with me. He's never hurt me and you treat him like he's so much worse than any of the other guys I've dated. Why? Because he works for Jason? You work side by side with Alexis, who killed a man and faked a mental disorder to get out of the charges. You worked side by side with Ric, who kidnapped a pregnant woman and chained her to a wall. By the way your great police department did nothing to stop him. Carly didn't have proof you said but that wasn't it. Sonny and Jason weren't at fault so your team did nothing to stop what happened. Your police department only want to solve crimes when Sonny and Jason are the suspects. Harper, Cruz, Lucky, Capelli, and Taggert. Every single one of them have had some kind of vendetta against Jason and Sonny. They go outside the law to catch them and they still have jobs. Yet you criticize Spinelli for what? For working for Jason. How many criminals has he taken out for you?"

"Maxie, that's enough. I am very appreciative to Spinelli for Georgie's killer but that doesn't make me feel any better about you spending time here or with him. He's still a criminal, no matter what good deed he's done."

"Here's the bottom line dad. Spinelli is a part of my life now. He's not going anywhere. I would never choose a man over you but I'm not going to let you run him off or run me away from him. You're going to have to get used to the fact that he's in my life and he's not going anywhere. "

"And if I don't?"

"Now you sound like me? Being all kind of defiant. It doesn't work for you though and it's not going to work for me. I'm an adult. You don't get a say in who I date, the same way that if you ever chose to date I wouldn't get a say in who you dated. Now that's not to say I wouldn't give my opinion and more than once you've given yours. And I've heard it. It just didn't make a difference. I have a mind and a heart of my own and it wants Spinelli. I'm sorry if you don't like it." Mac looked at her and he knew that she was right. She was an adult and he should lay off the fatherly concern but it was difficult. Robin was a grown woman pregnant with her own child but he was still worried about her everyday. It was no different with Maxie. "Fine, I'll go take care of this and you can stay. I'll give you a call when Logan's in custody. I'm sure that you'll want to get a chance to talk to him."

"Yeah, I will." Mac left, leaving Maxie in Spinelli's capable hands. As soon as the door closed Maxie threw her arms around her neck and began crying. She cried until she had no tears left to cry. Finally she looked up at him, tear tracks staining her cheeks. Her blonde hair was disheveled but she was still the most beautiful thing he'd seen in his life. Never in a million years would he have believed that someone like her would want someone like him. She moved closer to him and nestled into his side, snapping him out of his reverie. She needed him now, his full attention. "Maximista, he'll be off the street now. I know that can't bring gentle Georgie back but it has to be of some comfort to you."

"I suppose. But it just doesn't seem to change how I feel. Knowing that Logan is going to spend the rest of his life in prison doesn't make it so that Georgie can be here to tell me how stupid I just was to yell at Mac. It doesn't make it so that Cooper didn't die violently like he always thought he would. Even if Logan were to somehow get the death penalty it won't change anything. I always figured that when Georgie's killer was found I would feel vindicated somehow. Like it was all okay again and I don't. Spinelli she's still gone.." Her voice break and without seeing her face he knew that she had begun crying. Months after Georgie's death she still grieved for her like she had passed recently. "My sister is still gone and knowing that Logan did it doesn't take that ache out of my gut. It doesn't stop me from feeling sick at the thought that she's never going to fall in love again. That her marriage to Dillon was all she got and when she died she died without someone loving her. You were wrapped up in Lulu and Dillon was falling at her feet and Georgie was sitting on the sidelines watching and then she was gone. Everyone took notice then. She was a saint when she was gone but everyone treated her like a blip on the radar when she was here. Myself included. I treated her like she was interference and I only was good to her when I needed something. And I thought the guilt would go away if I had a hand in bringing her killer to justice. If I was a part of helping bring the person who killed her down but it doesn't. I still feel guilty, like it was a mistake. I thought that feeling like death made the wrong choice would go away in time but it hasn't. I still feel like it should have been me in that park, and every time I start thinking about the effect her death has on my I feel like I'm doing something wrong. Being incredibly selfish because I still have a life to be effected and she doesn't." Spinelli lifted her head and he saw the pain and fear in her eyes. Fear of being happy and letting Georgie go. Pain at the thought of moving on with her life without Georgie. He knew that there was really nothing he could say or do that would make anything better so he just pulled her closer to him and held her. That was the only way that he knew to make her feel better. "Maximista?"

"Yeah."

"Death didn't make a mistake. I cared for Wise Georgie more than I even knew but good did come from her death. I'm not saying that you and me finding a way to care for each other is even close to being reason for Georgie's death but if she hadn't passed you wouldn't be here with me."

"No, you might be with her."

"We don't know that. I believe in a higher being Maxie and I believe that whoever or whatever is up there doesn't make mistakes. If Georgie's gone there's a reason for it. Just think Maxie. If George hadn't been one of the victims you would never have decided that you should try to find the killer, you would have never enlisted the Jackals help, and the killer wouldn't have been caught. You were instrumental in that, and that is something that good that came from losing Wise Georgie." She didn't say anything but he felt her breathing even and knew that she was finally calming down. He leaned back on the couch and she pulled her legs up next to her on the couch and curled up as close to him as she could. He pulled the blanket from the back of the couch over them and just sat there with his arms around her until they both fell asleep.

It was about two hours later that Maxie's cell phone rang waking Spinelli up. Normally he would never answer her phone but he didn't want to wake her up for something unimportant so he picked up the phone and groggily answered, "Hello Maxie's phone."

"Spinelli, why are you answering Maxie's phone. Is she alright?"

"She's asleep. It took about an hour for her to calm down after you left and she she's only been asleep for a couple of hours. Did you find Logan?"

"Yeah, he's in custody. That's why I was calling. I wanted Maxie to come down. I know that she's probably going to want to confront him about this."

"I know she will. I'll wake her up and bring her to the station."

"Thank you." Spinelli hung up the phone and looked down at the sleeping beauty next to him. He hated to wake her when she was sleeping so peacefully but he knew that she would want to see Logan face to face. To tell him how terrible he was. So he gently shook her shoulder until finally she moaned a little and opened her eyes to see his face. "What?"

"Your dad called. He wants us to come down to the station. The police have Logan in custody." That was all he had to say before she jumped up and put her shoes on. She was more than ready to confront the coward that stole her sister from her. They went down to the parking garage and Spinelli opened the door for her as she got in the car. Even in all of her anger she still recognized the fact that Spinelli was a gentleman, even when it came to the small things. He climbed into the drivers seat and turned the vehicle on. On the ride there Maxie didn't speak. He wanted to ask her what she was thinking but he didn't want to be intrusive. If she wanted to tell him what was going on in her head then she would tell him. Until then he would just be there for her. Once they got to the police station she ran in and straight to Mac. "Where is he daddy? Where's the man that killed Georgie.?"

"He's in interrogation room 1. Take your time. We'll be watching from out here though. He's not in particularly good humor right now." She couldn't help but scoff at that a little bit. Logan Hayes and good humor had always been as far apart as night and day but now it was downright ridiculous that he could be anything else. "I'll be careful daddy." She walked into the interrogation room and closed the door behind her. Spinelli and Mac stood outside watching closely, both ready to pounce if Logan stepped out of bounds even once. Once Maxie was in the room she stood face to face with the man that attacked her and killed her sister. Surprisingly the first feeling to hit her was a wave of nausea. Just being in the same room with him made her physically ill. He had taken everything that had meant anything to her and she had had to rebuild her entire life. "So it was you all along?"

"You can't be that surprised? You and geek boy have been sniffing around me for weeks. You wanted it to be so you would feel justified in what you did."

"What did I do Logan?"

"You slept with me and broke up my relationship with Lulu."

"Last time I checked you were there too. Last time I checked I wanted a simple bet and the sleeping together was your terms, not mine. But you insist on blaming me. What does that have to do with anything anyways? You killed women Logan. Over and over again. You killed your friend. You're sick. And I don't mean you're sick in a criminally insane, get help and be reformed kind of way. I mean you're sick, twisted, demented. You make me ill. You didn't start this with me. That would have made sense on some kind of deranged level. You started with Carly's nanny. I mean was there even a method to your madness or did you just kill for the sake of killing?"

"Carly's nanny was just collateral damage. It's not like she was the first person I'd killed. I killed all the time in Iraq. Never even thought twice about it. It's what I was trained for. I broke into Carly's house the night I killed her nanny. I was pissed because I thought she was badmouthing me to Lulu. She never liked me and she never got past what you forced me to do."

"Again with the blaming me. I didn't rape you Logan. You were a willing participant. So what you thought the nanny was Carly? That doesn't even make sense. They look nothing alike."

"No, they don't. But the nanny was going to call the cops when she saw me sitting in Carly's living room. So I took the phone cord out of the phone and that was that. It was like I was back in Iraq with that slut. It was that easy to go back and before I knew it the nanny was dead. So I took the cord and left. It's not like I'm unfamiliar with stealth. I was in the military. I know how to fly beneath the radar. After killing her I didn't see any reason to stop until I got what I wanted. I came there to take Carly so I went to the Black and White Ball, waiting for my opportunity. I almost took care of her but Emily Quartermaine saw me following her. She was suspicious and since she'd already humiliated me in public I took great joy in taking care of her. Next came you. You know how close I came with that. But of course Georgie came home and you know the rest. I never wanted to hurt Georgie though. She was a good girl, yelled at me a couple times but she was defending what a slut you were. You were her sister. Couldn't fault her for that."

"You killed her."

"You were supposed to be there. It was supposed to be you meeting me in the park. Once she saw me I couldn't let her go. Sure I could pretend to just be passing through but she would get suspicious. And then I got to thinking about. Just a quick scan of the times I'd spent with Georgie. She was your biggest defender, your greatest support system. Your rock. And I though what better way to take you down than to take her. It would be so much sweeter than just watching you die. I could watch you crumble, bit by bit by bit." It was then that her tears began to flow as he lowered his voice. No one but her was listening but a sinister edge entered his voice now when he spoke. " I watched from a distance when you went to the park to see her body. Your reaction made me salivate. The yells, the screams. They were visceral. Primal, like watching the dog that you are. I relished every minute of it." Her body shook as the hatred in her words hit her. There was venom in his voice. "I enjoyed killing her, knowing what it would do to you. She was the only one that I looked in her eyes while I was killing her. I knew at some point I would get to tell you and I knew you'd want to know all the juicy details." He licked his lips and she swore she saw evil in his eyes. It was like it was at his core. A chill ran down her spine as he continued to speak. She wanted him to stop but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction. He wanted to torment her and she refused to give in to him. So she just continued to shake and cry while he spoke." She cried. Did you know that? At first she was happy to see me but when she realized what I was there to do she tried to leave. I grabbed her and put that cord around her neck. The fear in her eyes was delicious. And the pleading for me to stop until she lost the ability to speak. The last thing to go were the tears. Staining her face, her eyes begging me to stop. And then passed out and then she died. It was almost too sweet to leave but I knew that you'd be there soon and it would all be worth." Maxie couldn't contain herself anymore. She lunged across the table and attacked him. "You bastard. You killed her. You killed my sister and now you're getting some kind of perverse pleasure from watching my pain. I hope you get the lethal injection. Four murders, including the murder of a cop. He was your best friend. How could you kill Coop?"

"He figured it out. After Georgie. He was trying to get evidence to prove it was me to take to the cops. So I doctored some evidence, and set it up to make it look like he killed himself. That one was actually hard for me. I'd never killed a friend before but he was going to betray me and I couldn't have that. I guess I shouldn't have stopped when I did. I should have taken your computer geek too. My bad. I guess I'll have to find a way to rectify that situation." She attacked him again and screamed, "You leave Spinelli alone. You're in lockup. You're never getting out. You just confessed."

"I confessed to the police commissioners daughter. With your reputation and how much you hate me your testimony will never stand up in court. I'm sure the evidence your dad has against me is completely circumstantial. If nothing else I'll plead temporary insanity and be out in no time. And then I'll take care of your little geek. Once he's gone you can start counting your days." She hit him one more time and turned back to the door. She was still crying harder than she thought she'd ever cried in her life when she walked out of the room. Mac wanted to take her in his arms and comfort his daughter but she walked directly into Spinelli's waiting arms. "Maximista? Maxie, are you okay?"

"No." The word was barely a whisper, practically a moan, but he heard it and gathered her even closer to him. He had seen her broken before. The night that Georgie had died. The day of Georgie's funeral. In the diner when she fell apart screaming that she wanted her sister. In the cemetery when she gave him a tour of all the people she'd loved and lost. He had seen her broken but this was the most defeated he'd seen her. It looked as if some light had gone out in her eyes and he just hoped that he could get it to come back. His Maxie had to be in there somewhere but he knew that after her interaction with Logan and the emotions that went along with finally solving Georgie's death it would probably take a little time. He let her go briefly to walk over to Mac. "Mr. Commissioner sir the Jackal is going to take Maximista back to Casa De Stone Cold. I know this wouldn't be the most desirable of options for the top cop but Maxie needs me right now."

"Please Spinelli. Take her to our house. If she needs you tonight you're welcome to stay there. In the guest bedroom. It's right next to Maxie's room so you'll be able to hear her if she has a nightmare. If any day was going to give someone nightmares it would be today. But I need my daughter home tonight. Not just for her but for me as well. I'm having to deal with the man that killed my other daughter. I just need Maxie home safe where I can check on her as many times as need be." Spinelli nodded his head and walked back over to Maxie. "Are you ready to go home Maximista?" She nodded her head and she moved as close to his body as she could. She had just felt such hatred from Logan, a hatred that came off him in waves, that she needed Spinelli close. She needed his warmth and the caring that she sensed in every move he made. He had always made her feel safe but now she felt as if as long as he was with her nothing could harm her. It was him that was protecting her and she didn't want him away from her for a second.


	12. Chapter 12

When Spinelli and Maxie arrived back at the Scorpio house the first thing she did was head upstairs to change into a pair of pajamas. It was amazing what an oversized hoodie and pair of pajama pants could do for a girl. Once she was dressed she walked back down the steps and found Spinelli waiting for her on the couch, a movie on the coffee table and a bowl of ice cream sitting next to it. She smiled as she walked over to sit next to him. "So we watch a movie and have ice cream once after a bad day and now it's some kind of tradition? Thank you Spinelli. Thank you for staying."

"The Jackal wouldn't be anywhere else but with his fair Maximista. You don't need to thank me for that. I'm being selfish. With you is where I'm happiest and you needing me is such a privilege. I'm here for myself as much as I am for you." She curled up next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. "You know Spinelli I never imagined this. I always thought that when I was happy with a guy it would be all sex and drama. I was never really good with the quiet moments. They made me want to shake things up a little."

"Do you wish to shake things up?"

"No, I'm content here with you. I went through hell tonight and even though you weren't in the room with me I felt your strength. While Logan was describing to me how he enjoyed every minute of killing Georgie I could feel you on the other side of the glass. Giving me everything you had to give. I've never had that before. At least not with any guy. I feel safe just knowing you're close by." She moved her head from his shoulder and smiled up at him. Even though she was just dressed in pajamas with her hair pulled up in a short ponytail he found himself amazed at how beautiful she was, and completely amazed that she wanted him. He had never imagined the first time he met Maxie Jones just how much of an impact she would have on the man he would become. She had completely transformed the way that he saw things and she had taught him that you should never take anyone's word about who someone was without getting to know them first yourself. Lulu had assured him that Maxie was the worst person in the world but since the beginning of their friendship she had been nothing but the most wonderful friend possible. Now she was more, although he still wasn't exactly sure what she thought of what they were doing. Granted she had been the one to initiate a more than friendly relationship but a lot of times she spoke before thinking. He feared that she would soon come to realize that she only had romantic feelings for him because she felt lonely and they were always together. The thought that she would change her mind and decide that she wasn't interested in being with him terrified him because he knew that he had already warned her that there were things that he would be unable to take in a relationship with her. He feared that her playing games with his heart would be one of those things. "Maximista?"

"Yeah."

"Have your feelings changed? About the Jackal?"

"Of course. I told you that." His heart sank at the knowledge that her feelings for him had indeed changed but he was unclear on why she would say she had already told him about that change of heart. "I don't believe you did Maxie."

"The other day. I told you that I wanted to be more than just friends. That I care about you the way a woman cares about a man. Is this ringing any bells? Because if not that date last night was certainly a confusing thing."

"The Jackal meant since last night. Have your feelings changed about the Jackal since last night? Maybe reversed themselves to friendship." She looked at him confused by what he was asking her. She felt confident that he was asking her if she had stopped liking him as a man and gone back to liking him as just a friend. What she didn't understand was why he would even think that. Had she been giving him signs that her feelings had gone back to just friendship? "Is that what you want?"

"No, the Jackal loves the new closeness in his relationship with Maximista. But I fear that perhaps you've decided that friendship is all you really want from me."

"Have I given you some sort of indication that that's what I want?"

"No, but the Jackal is adept at reading computer screens and cyber speak. I'm no so adept at reading people. At times I only see what I want to see."

"Well if what you want to see is me wanting more than just friendship for the two of us then what you want and what is mesh well together. I'm not sure exactly where you would get the idea that I'm not interested in being more than just friends but it's just not true. There's something unique about our relationship, something I've never had before. Friendship first and then romance. It's not as though you and I wanted each other from the time we met. We have gone through every stage we can possibly go through to get here and I'm not even remotely interested in going backwards."

"So what does that mean for us?"

"It means we're dating. Exclusively."

"I like that. But I don't want everyone to know yet. Is that okay?" She was taken aback by the idea that he would want to keep their relationship a secret. She was completely thrilled to be with him and wanted to shout it from the rooftops but apparently he didn't feel the same. A look of hurt flashed across her face and Spinelli, who hadn't taken his eyes off her as they spoke, didn't miss it. She looked down at her hands and said, "Yeah. I guess."

"Maximista looks hurt. Why?"

"You're ashamed of me. Of course that hurts. I mean I get it. Being with the town slut really isn't anything to be that proud about but I guess I just figured that it wasn't an issue with you. You've always been so understanding about all that. It just took me by surprise. It's fine. We'll keep it a secret for awhile." She tried to force a lighthearted, carefree tone into her voice but didn't quite accomplish it. There was no hiding her hurt. "Maximista I could never be ashamed of you or our relationship. That is not the reason that I want to keep us a secret. It's more my own insecurities that prevent me from stepping out and proclaiming that your are indeed my girlfriend." She smiled at hearing him call her his girlfriend. With the other men she had been with everything had progressed so quickly and a lot of times the relationship never was defined until it was nearly over. Being called his now, at the very beginning, made her feel cherished. For a moment she even forgot that he was asking her to keep their relationship quiet. "Then if you're not ashamed of me what is it?"

"People are going to be…surprised by our relationship. Women like Maximista do not normally go for men like the Jackal. I want to enjoy our relationship before having to explain everything to the rest of the world. The stares are going to be difficult for me. People wondering what you're doing with someone like me. I just want a little time to enjoy us before the rest of the Port Charles gets their say." Maxie felt terrible for assuming that his desire to keep their relationship quiet for a little while was all about her. It had never even occurred to her how he might be feeling about their new situation. She never really thought about the fact that he might be experiencing any kind of concerns. "Spinelli, I'm so sorry I didn't think about that. I don't think that anyone is really going to be that surprised. We've been spending every minute together for the past few months."

"But no one really thinks a girl like you would want a guy like me. I can't even believe me."

"Anyone who doesn't know why I would want you is blind or crazy. The way you treat me is above and beyond. I've never felt like such a precious gem to anyone but Mac. You make me feel so precious and there's no one that can't see that. Spinelli, I don't think of you the way that you think of yourself. I mean for some reason you see yourself as inadequate and less than which is so not what you are. You're the best person I've ever known. You're handsome in your own quirky, offbeat way. No you don't look Jesse or Coop or Lucky. Perfect physical specimens. That all chose a dangerous career over me. I wouldn't change a thing about you Spinelli. Ever. I think you are just about perfect the way you are."

"Maximista, the Jackal understands how you see him. But you care for me. Those who don't won't understand what this gorgeous girl who could have any man in the world sees in a guy like me. I just want it to be you and me for a little bit before I have to face the stares of everyone in town. Can you understand that?" "Yeah." She leaned forward and picked up the remote laying on the coffee table in front of her. She switched on the TV and began flipping through the channels. "What do you want to watch?"

"I always like the history channel. The Jackal has a fondness for shows focusing on the most intriguing times of our past. And the most intriguing people of our times."

"How do you feel about reality TV?"

"If Maximista wishes to watch reality TV rather than a history show the Jackal understands. As long as at some point you watch a biography on A&E with me. I believe that Maximista might even enjoy a few of them. They've done biography shows on Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Coco Chanel. Many of the people that the Jackal has heard his Maximista speak of with fondness."

"Fine. I, Maxie, do solemnly swear that at some point I will watch a biography pre-selected by you if we watch a reality show now."

"That's what I like to hear." She flipped through the channels until she happened upon a show that they both seemed interested in watching and they settled down for night in. After the excitement earlier that night she was grateful just to have him there with his arms around her watching television.


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning Mac came home to find Maxie and Spinelli curled up together on the couch with the TV blaring in front of them. A blanket was pulled haphazardly across their frames and Spinelli's arm lay across her waist. It was a moment that most father would be unhappy to see but for Mac he was just happy that she was okay. There was no doubt in his mind that the night before had been draining for her. During the course of the night he had fought the urge more than once to call and check up on her. To make sure that she was okay and that she hadn't had any kind of health scare from the stress of the evening. Part of him wanted to wake her up and tell her to go up to her bed but she looked comfortable there with Spinelli. Besides if he knew his daughter, and he did, she would insist that Spinelli not leave her side. He felt a lot safer with them cuddled on the couch than cuddled on her bed. Even though she was in her early twenties he was still her father and was still ill at ease with her being a sexual being, no matter how determined she was to get him accustomed to it. She was not shy about the fact she was no virgin. In fact she often over-emphasized her sexuality. Since her affair with Lucky she insisted that she was damaged and some kind of slut. No amount of talking could convince her otherwise. He hoped that being with Spinelli, who he had to admit treated her like a princess, would help boost her self worth. He would have stayed and continued to watch her sleep but his own exhaustion kicked in. The need for sleep overwhelmed him and he slowly climbed the steps and prepared for bed. The night had been both physically and emotionally exhausting and he fell asleep the minute his head hit the pillow.

When Maxie woke up the first thing she noticed was that she was kind of crowded and asleep on the couch. The second thing she noticed was that she wasn't alone. She moved in Spinelli's arms until she could see his face. He looked so young laying there, so peaceful. In all her life she had never felt better about waking up in someone's arms. It felt perfectly right to wake up next to him. She traced her finger up his arms and ran it lightly across his cheek. There were people in the world that didn't see him for what he was and she felt sad for them. They let first impressions stop them from getting to know the best person she'd ever met. Women didn't flock to him as though he were the most gorgeous man in the world but she saw what they missed. He was so handsome in an outside the box kind of way. Maybe you didn't look at him at first glance and think what a hottie but what he had was so much more important. It was a beautiful personality spilling over and making him the most desirable man she'd seen in ages. The way he cared for her made her want him all the more. Every minute she spent with him made her even more certain that he was her perfect match, in every way. He balanced her out so completely and made her feel things that she wasn't sure she was ever going to really feel again. As she watched him sleep she sifted through the thoughts in her mind and the one that was ever-present was the one saying that this guy could be it. She was mildly uncomfortable with the thought but there was no way that she was going to let anything, especially her insane fear of being happy keep her from having a fabulous relationship with Spinelli. As the thought passed through her mind his eyes opened and focused directly on her. He was quite certain he was dreaming until she moved and he felt her weight shift from the arm he had underneath her head. It was then that he realized that he really was sleeping on Maxie Jones' couch with his arms around her and she really didn't seem to mind. "Good morning Maximista. I hope the morning finds you well."

"It does. Very well." She never broke eye contact as she spoke and he felt a rush of desire come over him. He leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers. It had never occurred to him that there would be a point where he would be kissing the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen and she would not only be allowing it but responding to it. But here he was and it was happening. They pulled back from the kiss when they heard someone clear their throats in the doorway. He prayed that it wasn't Mac catching them in what really wasn't a compromising position but what would be mistaken as one. They looked at the doorway and were surprised to find Robin standing there staring at them. "Well, l didn't mean to interrupt." There was a huge smile on her face as she looked at Maxie. Her cousin looked completely at ease in the young man's arm and the look of adoration on his face was enough to melt even the iciest heart. She didn't know Spinelli well but she thought enough of him to at one point ask him to be a sperm donor for her future offspring. "Hey Robin. What's up?"

"I have some big news for you and Uncle Mac."

"Dad didn't get home until really late I don't think. Spin and I were awake on the couch until like two or three this morning and he hadn't come home yet. Is it really important?"

"Yeah, but I'll tell you now and I'll tell Mac later. I don't want to wake him up. But it's big news that you have to promise you won't tell. You either Spinelli."

"You've got our word Robin. We've got some news for you too."

"Clearly."

"No, that's not it. I mean yes we're dating but that's not our big news."

"Well, tell me."

"You first."

"No, you."

"Okay. Last night Logan Hayes was arrested as the Text Message Killer. There's a ton of evidence and he confessed to me about those he killed and those he tried to kill. Georgie's killer is behind bars and he's probably going to end up getting the death penalty. Especially since he killed Cooper, who was a cop." Robin came over to where Maxie was sitting on the couch and put her arms around her. "Maxie, I don't know what to say. It's terrific that he's off the streets but I know that him being arrested doesn't bring Georgie back. How do you feel?"

"I feel kind of numb and horrified. All this time I've felt like it should have been me instead of her and he confirmed it. I was the intended target, but I suppose I already knew that. It just hurt to hear it said out loud." Robin didn't miss it when Spinelli took Maxie's hand and laced his fingers with hers. It was a simple move but a comforting move. It made Robin feel that her cousin's heart was safe. It was a good feeling. "So what was your news?"

"Okay. I'm going to have to give you an unnecessary detail first." Maxie nodded her head and Robin continued on. "The night of Georgie's funeral I went to Patrick's all upset and we indulged in what I suppose some would call grief sex or comfort sex. I didn't know it that night but the condom broke."

"Is Patrick ok? Did he get tested?"

"Yeah, he's been tested and the tests came back negative. Except for one test that I took. A pregnancy test. I'm pregnant."

"Robin, that's fantastic. I can't believe it. This is everything you've been wanting. Are you going to tell Patrick?"

"I suppose I'm going to have to. It would be easy enough to let him believe it was a sperm donor but then I would be no better than Carly. And after saying that AJ had a right to know Michael it would be a little hypocritical of me to not let Patrick get to know his child."

"I suppose. But you're happy right?"

"Absolutely. It's exactly what I wanted. I didn't go to Patrick's that night to get pregnant or anything like that. But I'm not going to feel bad about being happy. I'm going to be a mother and it's what I've always wanted."

"Robin, I am so happy for you."

"I, too, am thrilled for you Future Maternal One."

"Thank you both. Will you tell Mac to call me when he wakes up?"

"Yeah, of course. I'm not sure how long we're going to be here but we'll definitely at the very least leave a note for him."

"Thanks Maxie." Robin stood up and headed to the door. Before she left she turned back to the couple holding hands on the couch. "I'm really happy for you guys. I kind of saw this coming from a mile away but it's good to see that you're willing to allow yourself a good guy Maxie." She smiled at her cousin as she opened the door and left and then Maxie turned to give Spinelli a quick kiss. "What was that for Maximista?"

"Do I always need an excuse to kiss you?"

"No, but it might be nice to know so I can do it again." She chuckled at him and then looked into his eyes. "It was for knowing exactly what I need. I was feeling bad about all the stuff that went on with Logan last night and you knew that I needed you just now with Robin. I know being wonderful is second nature to you but it's kind of a new thing with me." He leaned in and kissed her again before getting off the couch and heading to the kitchen. "Do you have cereal? The Jackal realized that he and Maximista missed dinner last night and I feel the need for nourishment."

"We have cereal but why don't you let me make you breakfast?" An incredulous look crossed his face and he held back a laugh as he said, "You cook?"

"Well, not a lot. But I can make an egg and fry some bacon."

"Well then show me what you can do." She looked at him flirtatiously and darted off for the kitchen. He followed behind and sat at the kitchen table while she scurried around the kitchen. He laughed when she broke the egg and tons of egg shells fell into the bowl. But he graciously got up and helped her pick each and every one of them out. About fifteen minutes later the smell of slightly burnt toast, scrambled eggs, and mildly overdone bacon wafted through the air. The smells weren't the most appealing he'd ever smelled but as he ate he thought it was the most wonderful thing he'd ever tasted, because she made it for him. "So what does Maximista want to do today?"

"I think a nice and easy day is in order. After yesterday we could both use it. Maybe we can go to the park and then to a movie?"

"Sounds like fun."

"If I get the urge to kiss you while we're out and about today am I going to have to resist that urge?"

"The Jackal only wishes to not tell people of our relationship. I do not intend to pretend we don't have one." She smiled and took a bite of her own meal. After the terrible night she'd had the night before she was ready for a day of relaxation and fun.

Two hours later Maxie and Spinelli were at the park playing like children. They took turns pushing each other on the swings and side by side they built sand castles in the sandbox together. For Maxie was the most fun she'd had in forever. She had enjoyed their night in Manhattan and loved their date a few nights before but this was perfect. Just enjoying each others company in a normal setting. It was beginning to feel like a real relationship, and not just a dream. As they ran around and played like children together Maxie felt for the first time since Georgie's death a real sense of peace. Georgie's killer was in custody and she had begun to find real happiness with a man that seemed to sincerely care for her. After about an hour at the park Spinelli laced his fingers through Maxie's and started guiding her to the car. On the way there they ran into Lulu and Johnny Zacchara. Spinelli was of course thrilled to see her but Maxie was less than thrilled. "Spinelli, what are you guys doing here?"  
"We're just having some fun. What about you?"

"Just out for a walk." For the first time she seemed to notice that they were holding hands and he watched as her eyes went from happiness to anger. "You've got to be kidding me Spinelli. Maxie?"  
"I don't want to hear it Lulu."

"No, you have to. You know all the things that she's done to me."

"Really? Other than the bet with Logan what has she done to you?'

"She slept with my married brother and ruined his marriage. She faked a pregnancy to trick him into a relationship. You can't seriously want a girl like that."

"I want a girl who wants me Lulu. Who doesn't play with my emotions to suit her own purposes."

"I never did that."

"Oh come on Lulu. I thought I loved you but I wasn't blind. I saw that you were never interested in even trying to be with me but you kept me on that string in case you needed me. Especially once we shared a secret and heaven help me if I dared disagree with you about that. You remember when my opinion differed from yours and you called me a melodramatic geek who knew nothing about the world outside of cyber space. Do you know that since Maxie and I have been friends she's never raised her voice to me? Never called me a name, never made me feel bad about myself. With you and me it was a regular occurrence."

"Spinelli, I know that I haven't been the greatest friend in the world but you have to listen to me here. I'm telling you the absolute truth. You will get hurt being with her." Maxie felt the urge to defend herself but repressed it, allowing Spinelli to take control of the situation. Lulu was his friend and he would deal with the situation as he saw fit. "Lulu, I understand that you think you're trying to protect me. But let me ask you when you wanted to be with Logan and I didn't think it was a good idea did you listen to me?"

"No, but he's never done anything to anyone. I mean he had a bit of a temper but he's never done any of the terrible things that Maxie has. If you had given me some kind of proof that he was a bad guy..."

"Come on Lulu. You're fooling yourself and not me with that speech. I told you plenty of times that he wasn't trustworthy. You watched him beat up on me, force kisses on you. But it was all okay because it was what you wanted. And he has hurt people. More than you know."

"What are you talking about? I know he got aggressive with Maxie a couple of times after their bet but she deserved it."

"Yeah. She deserved it huh? Did she deserve it when he broke into her house and put a phone cord around her neck? Is that what she deserved for hurting you? Because that's what he did. What about Georgie? Did she deserve it when he put that phone cord around her neck and watched happily while she died, getting pleasure from it because he knew it would hurt Maxie? What about Alexis, Leticia, Sam, Emily? Did they all deserve it too? Because he killed them all." Spinelli watched the blood drain from her face as the reality of what he said sunk in. He hadn't meant to tell her that way but his anger had taken over. "Logan was the text message killer? How do you know?"

"I found proof. Military records and a PO Box with memorabilia from all his kills. He confessed to Maxie last night."

"Spinelli, I'm so sorry."

"I know you are. And it's going to take you time to deal with this. But Maxie has been through enough in the past two days. She doesn't need you telling me or her how unworthy she is. And I don't need you telling me who to date. Because apparently you're not that great of a judge of character either." Spinelli took Maxie's hand back in his and began to walk away. He hadn't intended to go off on Lulu the way that he had but he was tired of her constantly bashing on Maxie. It wasn't as if she were some kind of saint. "So what movie do you want to see?"

"I don't care. After seeing you in action back there I doubt we'll see much of it anyway." She smiled as he got the meaning of her comment and they headed off to the theater.


	14. Chapter 14

Two days later Maxie was alone at Kelly's grabbing a burger and some fries to take home for her and Spinelli when Lulu walked into the restaurant. She tried to keep her mind on the task of getting dinner for her and her boyfriend but it was all over when Lulu walked up behind her at the counter. "Alone already I see." Maxie didn't look back as she replied, "Just getting dinner."

"Alone. I guess Spinelli did wise up." Maxie finally turned around and looked at the girl that seemed determined to pick a fight with her. "I don't see Johnny with you. Does that mean you're not together anymore? Because last time I checked even if you were dating someone you could still leave the house alone."

"Spinelli defended you the other day because you were right there with him and he would never intentionally hurt anyone but I'm sure he's wised up by now and taken my advice about you."

"Lulu, what do you want? I was perfectly happy getting my meal and going. Do you have to talk to me about something or can I go? Because standing here talking to you not really what I want to do with my night."

"You think Georgie would be happy for you and Spinelli? She loved him but she's gone so who cares right? Don't you think it's a little strange? Your dating your dead sisters crush." Maxie grabbed her to go box off the counter, threw some money on the counter, and headed off back to her house. She expected to find Spinelli there but instead found a note on the table. _Maximista, I had to go take care of something for Stonecold. It shouldn't take me very long. I'll be back in an hour, two at the most. I'll be missing you. Spinelli. _She was disappointed but this was part of his job and she accepted that. She sat down in front of the TV with her burger and fries but couldn't focus on what was going on on the screen. Lulu's words about how Georgie would feel about her relationship with Spinelli kept popping into her mind. While she was absorbed in thought the living room door opened and Mac came in. "Hey Maxie. This is rare. You all by yourself. Where's Spinelli?"

"He's at work." Mac didn't respond to her comment because not speaking of Spinelli's job had become an unwritten rule in the Scorpio household. It wasn't as though Mac forgot what Spinelli did for a living but it didn't matter to Maxie and he wasn't willing to damage his relationship with her just for an argument. "You alright sweetie? You look upset."

"It's just something Lulu said. It's nothing." He didn't press the issue and she turned back to the TV. But she didn't hear a word that was being said on-screen. Instead she kept hearing Lulu on repeat in her head. "You're dating your dead sisters crush. You think she would be happy for you?" Over and over it kept cycling. Finally she laid down and fell asleep.

_Maxie walked down the hallway and into her sisters bedroom. There on the bed sat Georgie and she looked angrier than Maxie had ever seen her. "Georgie, you're alive. I am so glad to see you. You wouldn't believe how much I've missed you."_

"_You're right. I wouldn't because you certainly don't act like it. You never could let me be happy could you? When I was dating Dillon you just always had to make things hard. Always telling Mac what I was doing, even though I protected you. I stood by you when you self destructed and how do you thank me? By stealing the man that I love."_

"_But I thought that you were dead. Spinelli and I, we came together over our grief for you. We bonded through our love for you."_

"_Spinelli never loved me. He's enamored with a blonde head of hair. I'd have only gotten his attention if I'd have dyed mine. But I never thought that you would betray me by taking him just because you could. There's no way that you care about him. Not the way you treated him."_

"_I do care about him Georgie. So much but I'll give him up if it means that you're alive again and I have a second chance at being a good sister. I promise you."_

"_Don't make promises you can't keep Maxie. You never were any good with the sacrifice. It would be a matter of time before you decided that you wanted him no matter how it hurt me. Hell, that's how it happened before right. You didn't care if you being with him hurt me or not. You wanted him for yourself and you were going to take him."_

"_You were dead."_

"_Likely story. Thief. Thief. Thief." Maxie saw an anger in her sisters eyes she had never seen before. "You're twisted you know that Maxie. You only want what death has touched. And if death hasn't touched it you certainly bring it to the table. Death or destruction." _

"_Georgie how can you say these things to me? I'm your sister. We love each other."_

"_We LOVED each other. Past tense. That was before you took the only thing left that I wanted. Like I said you're a thief, thief, thief…."_

"Maxie. Maxie" She opened her eyes and focused in on Spinelli's face. He was standing over her looking at her with concern. "Are you okay? I think you were having a nightmare. At least it seemed like you were."

"You have to go. I can't do this. I can't do this to Georgie. I'm sorry Spinelli. I care about you so much but I can't do this to her. She's my sister and she loved you. I can't take that from her." Tears were streaming down her face as she thought over what she was saying. She was going to hate letting him go but Georgie had made it very clear that she didn't want her with him. "Maximista the Jackal is unclear as to what has changed since this morning. You didn't seem to wish to end our relationship then. What happened?"

"Georgie's alive and she doesn't want me with you. I can't believe I betrayed her like this. No matter how much I wanted you I should have never given in. You're Georgie's. Just one more thing that I took away from her."

"Maximista, Wise Georgie is sadly still dead. I wish that it weren't true but there's no way around that fact. You couldn't have spoken with her. Except possibly in your dreams."

"Maybe it was in my dreams but she was not happy for us Spinelli. I kept telling myself that Georgie would be so happy that I found someone that cared about me. But she wasn't and I can't do this knowing that she wouldn't approve. I'm sorry. I care so much about you but I can't Spinelli. It's wrong."

"What's wrong about it? We care for each other."

"Doesn't it bother you that it's sick? I am sick Spinelli. The last thing that my sister wanted in her life I took from after she was dead."

"What was going to happen Maximista? Was I supposed to never care for anyone because Wise Georgie cared for me? I cared a great deal for her as well but Wise Georgie and the Jackal were never a pair. We never had the intimacy of the relationship you and I share, no matter how much she wanted it. Perhaps the Jackal would have wanted that relationship too if I had known the feelings she had for me. But I didn't and I cannot be expected to live my life alone now because Wise Georgie is no longer here."

"No, but you can't live it with me. It's twisted Spinelli to want you. It's like I have to take everything she wanted, even when she's not there to see it."

"Do you honestly believe that Wise Georgie wouldn't be happy that we're together?"

"We're not together anymore. We can't be." Spinelli looked her dumbfounded by what she was saying. When he left her that morning she was completely happy in their relationship and now she was saying it was over. He had no clue what had happened to bring on this sudden change of heart. But he knew that he couldn't let it be done. They had come to far and been through to much together. "Maximista, what happened before you went to sleep?"

"Nothing." "Something brought on that dream. I want you to tell me what it was. Or what you think it was." Maxie didn't want to tell him about her interaction with Lulu but she hadn't kept anything from Spinelli in so long that when he asked for it the truth just rolled right off her tongue. "I saw Lulu at Kelly's. She started talking to me about Georgie and how it was wrong that I was with you. That it was sick that I was dating my dead sisters crush. But she was right Spinelli. I mean how twisted am I that I want what was Georgie's?"

"Maximista, I was never Georgie's. She was a beloved friend whose memory I will cherish for the rest of my life. But I have no romantic loyalty to that memory. Even if we had shared the greatest love story ever I would still have the right to move on with my life and why not with someone who understands completely the pain that I'm feeling." He took her hands in his and looked into his eyes. He had to drive home the point that she was not doing anything wrong by wanting to be with him. "Maximista I need you to pay close attention. Because I don't want to have to always be going over this with you." She nodded her head and didn't break the eye contact he had created. Deep inside she knew that she wanted him to talk her out of ending their relationship because she wanted to be with him so badly. More than she had thought she would this early in the relationship. "The Jackal cares about you more than you can possibly know. My first thought in the morning is you. As is my last thought before I drift to sleep. The nights that I've gotten to fall asleep with you in my arms have been the nights that my soul has soared and I've felt truly blessed. Never before has the Jackal felt so cherished by anyone and I do not wish for a moment to give that up. Wise Georgie was a dear friend and she will forever be missed. But the Jackal must keep living because I honestly believe that is what she would want for me. And she wish that for her sister, whom she loved dearly as well. She would never wish your unhappiness or your pain. That Georgie you saw in your dream was a manifestation of what Fair Lulu said and the guilt that you had buried in your own self. It was not her or what she truly felt. Maximista, the Jackal doesn't plan to beg but I would urge you to reconsider the ending of what I have considered a truly wonderful relationship. There's so much potential here that I would hate to see squandered away on fear and guilt." She smiled at him and he knew that she had heard what he had said and it had gotten through to her. But he wanted to hear the words from her mouth. "Maximista?"

"I don't want that either." Her tears had finally subsided and she was able to think rationally. She didn't know what she would have done if he hadn't fought her demands that they break up. Thankfully he was the best guy she'd ever met and for some unexplainable reason he seemed to really care about her. "I'm sorry Spinelli. I woke up and I'd dreamt that Georgie told me that she didn't love me because I'd taken you from her and it hurt so much. Georgie and I were so different and sometimes we didn't really get along all that well but when it all came down to it we were always there for each other. I guess I haven't completely learned how to function without her and the thought that she might be angry or disappointed in me is terrible."

"I can understand that. But you know how Wise Georgie was. She would never deny you an opportunity at happiness. And it seems that the Jackal makes Maximista happy."

"You do." She gave him a half smile and moved in for a kiss. It started off soft and sweet but as usual with their kisses it became deeper and deeper. She felt his hands move up her back and she felt chills go down her spine. In her wildest dreams she never thought that he would be able to incite the responses that he brought out in her. She didn't know what it was about him that made her feel all warm and tingly like she hadn't felt since she was much younger. He was the first to pull away from the kiss and she immediately felt the loss. "Spinelli, what's wrong?"

"I just have something that I have to do. I'll be back in no more than an hour. Maybe you can have a pizza waiting here for us. We can do a movie night."

"Okay." He kissed her good-bye and headed out the door.

Less than twenty minutes later Spinelli arrived at the Quartermaine mansion where Lulu was still living, even though she behaved as though she hated the entire family and her dad was on one of his many breaks from all things Port Charles. He rang the doorbell and the maid, Alice, opened the door. "Greetings Dominator. Is Fair Lulu perhaps gracing the Quartermaine home with her presence today?"

"Why yes Spinelli she is. Would you like me to call her?"

"Yes please. I will wait for her in the living room. Are there others in there?"

"No, most of the family is out today."

"Good, the conversation I wish to have with Fair Lulu is of a most personal nature." As he walked to the living room Alice went upstairs to get Lulu. A few minutes later she came into the room. "Hey Spinelli. Did you want to hang out? I've got plans with Johnny a little later but I can hang out for like an hour or so."

"I do not wish to hang out." She immediately picked up on the razor sharp edge in his voice and he watched as her posture changed. She straightened her back and prepared herself for what she felt like may be coming. "Then what can I do for you Spinelli?"

"I would like to know exactly who you think you are?"

"I think I'm your friend. And I think I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play stupid Lulu. You went right for Maxie's weak spot. It didn't work when you tried to manipulate me into leaving her so you waited until she was alone and hit her in the worst possible spot. How would you feel if she were to use your mother into manipulating or frightening you into doing something you didn't really want to do?"

"Spinelli, I know you don't see it now but I was just trying to protect you."

"Stop. Stop pretending to believe what you're selling me and stop protecting me. I'm done Lulu. I'm done with you trying to tell me how to live my life when you don't give a damn abut what I have to think. You don't care that I care about her. You don't care that I might have my own thoughts and feelings. And you certainly don't care that Maxie is the first girl that I've cared about that has given all that she had, even if she doesn't think it's good enough, because she thinks I'm worth it. You took the thing that would hurt her the most and used it as a weapon to get your own way. She had nightmares because of what you said. Terrible dreams of her sister telling her she hated her for being with me. That was cruel and below you and so not what I ever expected of you. We're done." He didn't wait for her to respond but just walked toward the door. She didn't try to speak at all. There was really nothing that she could say. He walked out the front door and drove back to Maxie's. He wanted to feel terrible that his friendship with Lulu was over but he was just glad that it wasn't his relationship with Maxie that was over. The friendship with Lulu was so strained for so long that he was almost glad that the last legs had finally faltered. It wasn't that he wanted Maxie to be the only one in his world but he certainly wasn't going to have people who had nothing decent to say about her in it. They were together now and it was his job to protect her from those that would hurt her. And it was a job he took seriously.


	15. Chapter 15

When Spinelli got back to Maxie's house she was curled up sleeping on the couch hugging a pillow. He hated the thought of waking her so he gently picked her up and carried her up to her bedroom. She stirred slightly as he laid her down on her bed but as soon as her head hit the pillow she settled right back down. He pulled a blanket over her and lightly kissed her forehead before leaving the room and heading to his car. He didn't feel right just sitting in the Scorpio home waiting for her to wake up. Mac had gotten better about accepting them but he was no where near being happy about it. On the car ride home he thought about his fight with Lulu. A year ago he would never have believed that he could be so angry at her but he was. She was playing God in his relationship and it was already going to be an uphill battle. Maxie was insistent that she wasn't worth love so getting her to believe that she deserved him was going to be a challenge. In reality he felt like he didn't deserve someone as wonderful as her. She didn't open up to many people so they didn't see how wonderful she was. In fact a lot of people had a really negative opinion of her. He had been one of them at one point and now he realized how incredibly stupid it was to believe everything he heard about her from Lulu without ever getting to know her himself. That was a mistake he had no intention of ever making again. Never again would he judge someone based on what another person told him. The thought that he could have missed out on the opportunity of knowing Maxie based on pre-conceived notions was a hard pill to swallow. As he pulled up to the parking garage at Harborview Towers he started thinking about all the great things he had in his life since he came to Port Charles. Sure people could easily say that his life was more dangerous than his life in Tennessee but he saw it as exciting. He'd built a family, found love, and was working on his license in an actual profession that could help people. It was more than he ever expected. He got out of the car and walked to the elevator but decided it against it and took the stairs up to the penthouse two at a time. However by the fourth floor he was beginning to get winded and wondered what had ever possessed him to attempt sixteen stories of stairs by foot. He assumed it must have been love's energy inspiring him. Unfortunately the energy had deserted him before he made it halfway to his destination. He went up one more story and finally found an elevator to take him the rest of the way up to the penthouse. Huffing and puffing he entered the penthouse only to find Jason and Liz entangled in an intense kiss on the couch. He covered his eyes as he headed for the steps up to his regrettably pink room. "The Jackal apologizes for his most inopportune interruption Stone Cold. I will retire to my pink room and give you two some privacy. Maternal one." He nodded in Elizabeth's direction to acknowledge her presence. "Hello Spinelli." He went up the stairs and closed the door to his bedroom. Since Jason and Liz had decided that they could only meet in secret at Jason's home this was not the first time he had interrupted them in the midst of their time together. He'd thought of asking them why they never thought to enjoy their time together up in Jason's bedroom but since this was Jason's home he felt that such a question would be too intrusive. Besides that it wasn't fair of him to banish Jason to his bedroom in his own house. For the first time since he moved in with Jason he began thinking about finding a place of his own. Jason had paid him well in the time that he worked for him and he could afford a very nice apartment, possibly even a house. Maxie never needed to know how much he was paid, at least until their relationship got more serious, but it was enough to keep him living very comfortably for years to come. Since both he and Jason were in new relationships it made sense that now would be a good time to have their own space. But before he started looking for a new place to live he wanted to talk to Maxie about it and also get to their long awaited second date. The first had been magical but this time he wanted to just do something that normal couples did. No plane rides to New York, no hot air balloon rides. Just a normal couple date. He didn't want her to be disappointed when the elaborate dates ended and it became just Spinelli and Maxie. But if he knew Maxie she would love whatever they did as long as they were together. The rest of the world might think that she was all about appearances but he knew better. She was a great lover of the little things in life. She loved a movie and ice cream Sunday or a walk in the park holding hands. So that's what he was going to give her. Just a normal, every day date.

Two days later Spinelli showed up at Maxie's house unexpectedly carrying a bouquet of red roses with baby's breath. He knocked on the door and Maxie opened it wearing a pair of fitted blue jeans and a black pleated strapless top. Even in just her everyday clothes he thought that she looked absolutely stunning. She took his breath away. "Maximista, how is it that you look so gorgeous in just your around the house clothes?"

"Well I have this really great boyfriend that sometimes just stops by unexpectedly so I have to look fabulous for him." He smiled at her and handed her the roses. "Let's go."

"Go? Where? Did we have a date?"

"No, but we do now. I wanted to surprise you for our second date."

"Okay, what's on the schedule today? Let me guess. Skydiving."

"No, the Jackal thought that we could go see a movie and then perhaps take a nighttime walk in the park." She smiled at him and offered him her hand. "Sounds good to me." He finally exhaled once he heard from her own lips that it wasn't just the big splashy dates that she wanted. They held hands as they walked to his car and like the true gentleman he was he opened her door for her before running over to the drivers side. He slid behind the wheel and they took off. "Where do you want to go for dinner?"

"I don't know. Do you have any particular place in mind?"

"Not really. I was thinking maybe you'd want to pick."

"I'm okay with Kelly's. We haven't really been out together as a couple. I don't want to go to some fancy place where they're going to shove us in some dark corner."

"Kelly's it is." They didn't really speak for the rest of the ride to Kelly's but it was only about a five minute drive. She turned the radio on and sang along to the songs she knew. He just watched her and wondered what he'd done in his life to deserve her. When they got to Kelly's she took his hands as they walked in and found a table. When their waitress, a girl Maxie had gone to high school with, came to their table it took her a minute to recognize that it was Maxie. "Maxie? Maxie Jones right?"

"Yeah."

"Didn't you go to boarding school?"

"Yeah but I was back by the senior year of high school. Got to graduate with my class and all that."

"That's good. I've been away at college but I'm back for the summer. I can't believe my parents are making me work. And in a crappy witnessing position."

"My sister used to be a waitress here. She loved it." Maxie looked down at the table briefly, suddenly uncomfortable with the fact that she brought Georgie up. "She was a few years younger than you right? I'll be she's off at college huh. Do you get to see her often." Maxie looked at Spinelli before answering the girl. "My sister was killed in December. Murdered."

"That's terrible. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." There was an awkward pause before the girl spoke again. "So are you seeing anyone?"

"Yeah."

"Probably some jock from high school right? Or some guy from college."

"Nope. I quit college after my first year. My boyfriend was killed and everything just kind of went downhill from there. But I've recovered. This is my boyfriend Spinelli."

"Spinelli. That's an interesting name." The girl seemed sort of bemused by Maxie, who she had saw as somewhat of a legend in high school, dating this guy who looked like he would be the president of the computer club. "My first name is Damian. Maximista barely remembers that though." The girl gave him a strange look at the name Maximista and suddenly Maxie's protective nature kicked in. "Well it's been good catching up but we have plans tonight. Is there any chance we could order?" The girl didn't miss the sudden sharpness in her voice. "Yeah, no problem." She took their order and Spinelli and Maxie went back to their time date. People came in and out of the restaurant through the meal but no one really stopped since it was kind of clear that they would prefer to be alone. They had moved their chairs next to each other and sat close as though they didn't want to be disturbed. Which they really didn't. When their meal was over he took her hand and they walked from the restaurant to the park. The streetlights sent a beautiful glow over the sidewalks and the stars were bright and shining. It was the perfect night for a romantic walk in the moonlight. "Hey Spinelli?"

"Yeah."

"Let's just skip the movie okay? How about we finish our walk and then go back to your place and watch a movie there? Like when we first started hanging out. You remember that? We rented Titanic and had ice cream sundaes. You were so nervous. So afraid that I was going to touch you." He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. Leaning in he whispered, "I won't be afraid if you touch me tonight." She laughed and slugged his arm before putting her arms around his neck and kissing him. She was amazed at how confident he was in their relationship. Never would she have imagined him being forward enough to make a comment with sexual undertones to her. It just wasn't what she thought was Spinelli. It wasn't until she got to know him that she realized that he had a really randy side to him. He wasn't all sweetness and light. She kissed him again a couple times, quick light pecks on the lips and then grabbed his hand again leading him down the pathway some more. They walked for nearly an hour just holding hands and talking about little everyday things. She talked to him about thinking about possibly going back to college and he talked to her about the number of times he'd walked in on Jason and Liz in the past few days. Finally he led her to a park bench to discuss something that had been on his mind all night. "Maximista the Jackal has something he wishes to discuss with you."

"Okay." She sat next to him and waited for him to speak. "The Jackal wonders what Maximista would think about him getting his own place. Casa De Stone Cold has been his home for quite some time now but with both myself and Stone Cold embarking on new relationships it seems as though now might be an appropriate time for us to part ways as far as our living situation goes."

"So you want to get your own place? That's great Spinelli. I definitely think you should do it. You're an adult and to be perfectly honest I think that living with Jason kind of stunts you a little bit. He doesn't mean to make you feel inadequate but he does. Do you want me to help you look for a place?" "No, I think this is something the Jackal is going to do on his own and then he's going to surprise his Maximista. I mean for all we know if things go well in our relationship it could at some point be your home too." Maxie was stunned by what he was saying. This was only their second official date and he was already talking as if there was the possibility of them moving in together. But then she thought about it and they'd already been dating for a while even if it was only the second date and they'd been friends for a good amount of time before that. It would make sense for them to move in together, even if they didn't share a room. She wasn't ready to leave Mac yet though. He was still grieving heavily for Georgie and she didn't feel that he would be able to take it if she left him. "Spinelli, I'm not ready to live with you."

"And the Jackal wasn't talking about right now. Just at some point down the road if things are going well I imagine that co-habitation will be something to be discussed. Definitely not now though. Neither one of us are ready for that I'm sure." She gave him a half smile and took his hand again. She loved how perfectly her hand fit in his. It was as if they were made for each other. "So Maximista thinks the Jackal should start looking for his own humble abode?"

"Yeah, I think it would be nice if we didn't always have to go traipsing off to a bedroom every time we wanted to spend time together. It'd be nice to just be able to veg out in front of the TV with you or even go in the kitchen and cook dinner together. It's like we're always a guest at Jason's and liable to be told what to do at any moment." Spinelli didn't say anything but stood up and pulled her along with him. "Your place or mine?"

"Well Mr. Spinelli that sounds like an invitation."

"Well kinda. Not for what you're thinking though dirty mind. Just hanging out. Maybe some making out."

"Now that's my kind of get together. We better go to your place though cause otherwise Mac will be checking in on us every few minutes and we'll barely even be able to kiss." They headed back to the car and drove to Jason's house. This time he didn't even think about taking the stairs. It had taken him a good amount of time to recover the other day and he didn't want Maxie thinking he was some kind of wimp. For the first time in years when he approached the door he knocked and waited for either a response or nothing. It was one thing for him to walk in on Jason and Liz but that was not a sight he wanted Maxie's eyes to see. Once he was sure the coast was clear they went in and went straight up to his bedroom. She climbed into his bed and he found a DVD off the shelf and popped it in the DVD player. He climbed in and put his arm around her then turned his attention back to the TV. This was what he had longed for for such a long time. Not just with Maxie but with anyone. He'd never had someone that he could just be with and now he finally felt free to just be himself. It was a truly liberating feeling and for once he was just happy. Looking over at Maxie he could see a sense of contentment on her face as well and felt that maybe she was feeling the same way as he was.


	16. Chapter 16

A week later Maxie woke up in the middle of the night with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know what it was about but she knew that she didn't like it. She felt nauseous and felt fear enter her body but since she didn't know what was causing the feeling she just laid back down and tried to go back to sleep. After about ten minutes she realized that sleep was not going to come back to her so she flipped on the tv and watched a bad infomercial for a while. Just as she was about to drift back to sleep her cell phone rang on the nightstand. She picked it up and said, "Hello."

"Maxie, it's Jason. I didn't mean to wake you. I thought that you'd want to know that Spinelli's been hurt. He's in the hospital."

"What happened?"

"I can't give you any details but I thought you'd want to know."

"What do you mean you can't give me details? My boyfriend is in the hospital and I wanna know what the hell happened to him."

"I understand that Maxie but it happened in the middle of a situation that you can't know about."

"Jason I don't give a damn. Before I get dressed and go down to the hospital to see my boyfriend laying in a bed I want to know why he's there. I don't care what the situation was. I don't need a lot of details. What happened?"

"He was shot."

"You've got to be kidding me. He's your computer guy. What was he doing somewhere that he could get shot?"

"It happened in the hallway between my penthouse and Sonny's old penthouse. He just stepped outside. It's just a flesh wound Maxie. He'll probably be out of the hospital tonight."

"Fine. Whatever." She hung up the phone, threw on a black velour track suit, pulled her short blonde hair into a ponytail and ran down the steps. Mac was already in bed asleep so she didn't have to deal with his questions as she grabbed the keys off the hall table and ran out to the car. Even though Jason said that Spinelli wasn't seriously injured she couldn't shake the fear she felt when Jason said Spinelli had been hurt. Everyone guy she'd ever truly loved before had died and the fear of it was a gut reaction for her. When she thought of Spinelli injured it felt like she facing the loss of her last chance at love. It was an unsettling feeling and it sat with her the entire ride to the hospital. When she got the hospital she ran inside and took the elevator to the eight floor. She stepped out on the floor and walked up to the nurses station. Elizabeth Webber was there with her back to the elevators and it looked as though she had her arms crossed in front of her. Maxie waited and then heard Elizabeth speaking. "Jason, hey it's Liz. Hope you get this. I was just hoping you'd want to meet me at your place in like an hour. Grams has the boys tonight for awhile. I told her I get off at one in the morning rather than eleven." Finally Maxie had enough. "Elizabeth do you think you could maybe get off your cell phone and help me since I've been standing here for a couple of minutes and I'm sick of waiting?" Liz flipped her phone shut and turned to glare at Maxie. "You know it wouldn't hurt you to be a little more polite. I'm a nurse, not your personal punching bag."

"I don't care what you are. This is your job and I wish you'd do it once in a while. Now Nurse Webber do you think you could possibly find out what room Spinelli is in?"

"I'm sorry. I can't. I can't only give out that kind of information to family and the contact in case of emergency person. And they've already been contacted." Maxie clenched her jaw and bit at the inside of her lip to keep from throwing a fit the likes of which General Hospital had never seen. She lowered her voice so only Liz could hear her and spoke. "Listen to me you little viper. I don't give a damn what you and Jason do in your spare time but I'm telling you if you don't tell me where I can find my boyfriend I am going to go Epiphany or the chief of staff or I don't care who and tell them all the times that I've tried to get help at this nurses station and you've either been on your cell phone making personal phone calls or just simply refused to help me because you're a vindictive witch that can't get over a marriage that you were already in the process of throwing away when I stepped in. Do I feel bad that what went down with me and Lucky went down? Yes. But newsflash. The rest of the world has moved on so maybe you should catch up. Now my boyfriends room number please." She knew that Elizabeth's first impulse was to still tell her to go away but her threatening her job was really something she couldn't afford to have happen. She looked Damian Spinelli up on the computer and reluctantly told Maxie that he was in room 807. "Thank you Nurse Webber." Maxie walked away and went to Spinelli's room as quickly as possible. He was asleep and once again the fear that Maxie was becoming so familiar with crept back in. She walked in and picked up his hand, prompting him to stir. A smile spread over his face as his eyes opened and saw that it was her. "Hey if it isn't Nurse Maximista. I guess my special request was put in and received."

"Don't flirt with me. Where were you shot?"

"Stone Cold told you what happened?"

"Well the ice king couldn't be bothered to tell me but at least he thawed whatever's running through his veins enough to ease my mind that was running wild with terrible possibilities."

"Maximista please don't speak so disparagingly of Stone Cold."

"I am so not going to fight with you here while you've got a bullet hole in you but don't even think this is over. Where'd the bullet hit?"

"Maxie…"

"Don't even Maxie me. Where did it hit?" He pulled his shirt up a little bit and she saw a bandage on his side. It looked like Jason was right that it was only a flesh would but she was still angry that it happened. There would always be a scar there marring his side and reminding each of them the price of being connected to Jason Morgan. She didn't let him know how angry she was about his wound though. Instead she just sat down by his side and took his hand again. "How long before the doctors let you out of here?" Before he could speak Robin walked in and looked at her cousin. Spinelli may not have noticed how pale Maxie was but she did. She saw how Maxie was clinging to his hand and fighting back tears. She was only hiding it from Spinelli by keeping her head lowered and her eyes averted. "Maxie, he's fine. Really. It was a flesh wound. I'm even releasing him right now." Maxie let out a sigh of relief and nodded her head. She didn't trust herself to speak. Before she saw the wound her anger at Jason was fueling her but when she saw the bandage on Spinelli's side she couldn't stop her mind from retreating back in time and seeing Jesse's wound. She had lost enough people in her life and even knowing Spinelli's wound wasn't fatal was really enough to calm her terrified heart. While she was busy trying to calm down and stop shaking Spinelli jumped off the bed and headed towards the door. He signed the release papers Robin had brought to him and waited for Maxie to follow his lead. "Maximista, are you coming?"

"Yeah." She stood up and walked to his side. "Casa De Stone Cold?"

"I don't think so. We're going to my house."

"Won't the top cop be angry at the Jackal's late night presence?"

"First, I don't care. You were shot and I'm going to take care of you. Second, my personal life is my business, not his. I will have overnight guests if and when I feel like it. He's aware of this."

"Alright. Maximista's it is then."

"We have a conversation to have when we get there." He could see anger and frustration written all over her face but he didn't know what he could possibly have done to inspire that anger. Little did he know he wouldn't have to wait long to find out.

When Spinelli and Maxie arrived at her house she sent him straight up to her room while she went to the kitchen to get a bag of tortilla chips and a couple bottles of water. He was laying on her bed when she came up and smiled as she entered the room. She closed the door behind her but knew that when she was done saying what she had to say that not even a closed door could keep Mac from hearing. "Hello gorgeous. A lot different than the first time I was in your room. Definitely not afraid of your bed. Gonna join me?" She walked over and sat on the bed beside him but kept her back to him. "Spinelli, we need to talk." There was a tone in her voice that he wasn't comfortable with and all playfulness left him quickly. "Okay Maximista. What is it?"

"I don't know how to do this with you." He felt as if the air had been knocked out of him as she said this. Surely she wouldn't be ending their relationship the same night as he got shot. He knew that there was no way she would be that cruel. "What do you Maximista?"

"I need you to forget Maximista for a second. I don't want to be her or Bad Blonde One or anyone but Maxie when I say this to you." She paused and waited for him to nod his head. "I don't know how to do this with you. Walk this violent road that you walk. My life has been touched with so much violence Spinelli. My parents were both these super spies and there guns and bullets and all kind of things. And then there's Mac who's a cop. Then BJ and it stopped for a long time. But in the last couple of years violence has chased me. Jesse, Cooper, Georgie, Logan, Diego. Almost every person I love has either become violent or died violently. Now there's you. And I've done really well ignoring things. Like what you do when you get on the computer and I just tell myself you're not in danger because you're the computer guy. Until I woke up in the middle of the night tonight." Tears ran down her face as she thought about the sick feeling she had even before she got the call from Jason. "It wasn't the phone that woke me. I just sat straight up and I just felt like something was wrong and I ignored it. Then the phone rang and Jason said you were hurt. And I thought about all the violence that has stalked people I love. I don't know how to do this with you. You're my last chance. I didn't think I would ever open my heart again after Cooper and Maxie. I thought I was out of commission, down for the count, I thought I was just done. Then you walked in and I started feeling something again. And I love it Spinelli. I love being with you. But I can't lose anymore. You have to be more careful. You can't just think of Jason anymore because he's not the only one that's counting on you. Right now you and Mac are all I have to hold onto and I can't lose you. It would destroy me." She stopped speaking and finally looked at Spinelli. She could swear that she saw a tear in his eye but didn't mention it. "Maxie, I just stepped outside the penthouse. I wasn't following him on a stakeout or anything like that."

"Jason is a mobster Spinelli. You don't like to think about it or acknowledge it and I get that. He's your friend, he's like your brother and you can't stand to think of him in anything but a positive light. But he's a mobster and he leads a dangerous life. And you help. I mean a lot of the information he gets he gets from you. His enemies know that which makes you a target. I'm just not sure how much I can open my heart knowing that there's always the chance that one of his enemies are going to go after him and you could get caught in the crossfire. Or the chance that one of his enemies could come after you to eliminate his information source." Spinelli had thought about these things before but death was not something that he was terribly afraid of. At least not before Maxie. If he had been able to go out feeling like a man he'd have been happy. Now he had something to leave behind if he were to die and he couldn't help the feeling that there was possibly a shift in their relationship. "Maxie, what are you saying?"

"I'm just saying that I need you to be careful. And I think your idea to get your own place is a good idea. At least then you're out of Jason's line of fire."

"I'll start looking tomorrow. Did you want to go with me?"

"House hunting together? Sure. Sounds like fun." He nodded and leaned back on her bed. "So does this mean we can maybe go to sleep because I'll tell you what, getting shot is really kind of taking it all out of me." She laughed a little bit and climbed up next to him on the bed. They pulled the blankets down and crawled into the bed next to each other. She knew that there was the chance that Mac would be upset that he stayed the night but she wasn't really concerned with that. Mac was going to have to get used to Spinelli whether he wanted to or not. "Hey Spinelli?"

"Yes?"

"We're not going to tell my dad you were shot. It would just make him freak out about me spending time with you."

"Okay." She shut the light on her bedside table off and laid her head on his shoulder and her arm around his stomach. This was the way she wanted to fall asleep for a long time but her fear was still there. She was afraid that this wasn't going to be the last time this issue was addressed with them and she was scared that it wouldn't always have such a happy resolution.


	17. Chapter 17

When Maxie woke up the next morning she reached over and was surprised to find that Spinelli wasn't there. She hoped that he hadn't taken off early so as not to wake up Mac. There was no way she wanted him tiptoeing around her father. It had long been established between them that her personal life was no personal life and he had no say. If it became too much of an issue between them he knew that she would just move out. And he didn't want that. "Spinelli? Hey, are you still here?" She waited for a few more minutes before heading down the steps and was surprised to find Spinelli and Mac sitting at the dining room table together, each nursing a cup of coffee. She thought about eavesdropping but since everything looked peaceful she just walked into the room. "What's this?" She walked over to Mac and kissed him on the cheek before walking over to Spinelli and giving him a quick kiss. Clearly Spinelli was a little uncomfortable with the display of affection in front of Mac but she felt like they needed to start getting used to the idea that they were together and they weren't going to behave like just friends anymore. She really loved Mac but if she didn't like her choice in men that was too bad. It was her choice and although she respected his opinion more than anyone else's in the world the decision was always ultimately hers. "Spin, do you feel up to going and looking at a few places today?" She was very careful not to mention his having been shot because she didn't want to have to deal with Mac overreacting like she had. Now that she'd had some time to sleep on it she felt a little foolish for getting so melodramatic over his flesh wound. But he wasn't just her boyfriend. He was her best friend and she'd lost far too many people for her to be cavalier about life. "Yeah, I feel fine." Maxie looked at Mac and explained that Spinelli hadn't been feeling well the day before and that's why he had stayed the night. After a cup of coffee Maxie went in and attempted to fix breakfast for the three of them but quickly found that her cooking skills were lacking. Half a dozen eggs and the fire alarm going off later Maxie decided to give up on the idea of being a domestic goddess cooking breakfast for her daddy and her boyfriend. Before she and Spinelli left Maxie called from the front door, "Mac, Spinelli and I are going to go look at houses. We'll be back later." She closed the door behind her and sprinted to the car. Little did she know Mac was in the house freaking out thinking that she was going to be moving in with Spinelli.

In the car on the way to the real estate office Maxie thought about how nice it would be for Spinelli to have a place of his own. No more running up to his bedroom every time Jason had to talk mob with one of his associates. She could learn to cook and make Spinelli dinner without fear of Jason coming in needing the apartment. And she didn't tell Spinelli but she was hoping that in time he would come to lean on Jason less and possibly leave his job as Jason's sidekick. Even thought she felt she overreacted the day before she still wasn't completely sure how she felt about him continuing to work for Jason. At the same time she didn't want to try and force him into anything. If he left Jason's employ it had to be his own decision. "Spinelli, what can you spend on this place? We didn't really discuss that."

"Stone Cold pays me very well so money really isn't an issue. I'll tell you if something we want to look at is out of my price range."

"Were you serious about me possibly moving in at some point?"

"Yeah. The Jackal assumes that his relationship with Maximista will move forward from here. And that leads me to believe that at some point cohabitation will be in the cards. Therefore your input is very important to me today. At some point the Jackal's new home may be Maximista's home and I want you to feel comfortable there." She smiled at how serious he was about the thought of her moving in. It made her feel good, especially since she had thought about it more than once. The house was for him today but in the back of both of their minds was the knowledge that at some point it could be their house. When they got to the real estate offices they sat down and looked through a book of homes and were surprised by the vast array of choices that there were. Neither of them knew that there were so many different choices to choose from. There were luxury houses and ranch houses and adobe houses and a million other styles. Since Maxie wasn't sure what he could afford she started off with a few two bedroom houses but Spinelli quickly stopped her and told her to think a little bigger. "Maximista, Stone Cold pays me well. I would hope that Port Charles will be my home for quite some time. I want to buy a home that can really be a home, not just a house. It's important to me."

"Well, do you want to go look at a few?"

"Sure." They got back in the car and drove to the outskirts of Port Charles. It was only a twenty minute drive but when they got there and saw that the house was just a little house that needed some definite repair work they didn't even get out of the car. Since money didn't seem to be an issue there was no point in buying anything that wasn't exactly what he wanted. Driving a few minutes back towards town they stopped at a lovely house tucked back in the woods that had three bedrooms and an indoor pool in the backyard. "What do you think Spin?"

"It's okay. Not really the Jackal's dream home but nice enough. I like the pool."

"Do you like to swim?"

"I love it. Swimming is one of my favorite things to do. Besides using my skills as the assassin of the internet of course."

"Of course." She smiled and looked back over the property. "Do you love it?"

"Not at all."

"Then this isn't it." Once they got back in the car she pulled out his laptop and map quested directions to the third and final house for them to see that afternoon. It was just outside of Port Charles but far enough that he wouldn't be hearing gunfire in the middle of the night in case of a mob war. When they pulled up Maxie was astonished by what she saw. The house was beautiful. Much larger than the others they had looked at and tucked an iron gate. This place was pure privacy and completely gorgeous. In fact she wasn't sure she'd ever seen a home quite so beautiful. Sonny Corinthos's home was large but dark and gloomy, even on the outside. This house just screamed I am home. But that was her reaction and she wasn't sure how Spinelli felt. She also was curious how he could afford such a beautiful home. He'd only been working with Jason for about two and a half years so she wasn't sure how this was in his budget. But the look on his face didn't indicate that he was concerned in the least bit. When they walked into the house she was stunned at how gorgeous it was. "Spinelli, how many rooms does this place have?"

"Five bedrooms and four bathrooms."

"Seriously you need that much space?"

"No, but when and if Maximista comes to live here you'll need space."

"Five bedrooms and four bathrooms amount of space? You don't think maybe we'll be sharing a room so the other four bedrooms won't be necessary?" She was kind of touched when he blushed a little at the thought of sharing a bedroom with her. More than once recently she had found herself thinking of Spinelli in the middle of the day and the thoughts had not exactly been pure. If someone had told her a year ago that she would be thinking about having sex with Spinelli several times a day she would have laughed in their face. "The Jackal liked the location of the house. I like that it's not right in Port Charles but I'm still close enough to see you every day and be available to Stone Cold when he needs me." Maxie cringed at the mention of Jason factoring into his decision but didn't let Spinelli see. She didn't want him to know how much his career with Jason bothered her since he had made it clear that it was something that he was happy with. But she wasn't going to pretend like she loved it if he asked either. Until she got the call that he'd been shot she'd been able to bury her head in the sand regarding his involvement with Jason but no more. They wandered through the house and she was very impressed. The kitchen was open and airy and looked into a breakfast nook and a family room. They checked out the master bedroom and found that the master bath had double walk in closets and a whirlpool bathtub under a bay window. It was everything Maxie had ever imagined but she had to remind herself that it was Spinelli's house. Going upstairs there was a large room, like a loft. The walked back downstairs and out the back door. There was a pool and a hot tub and in a separate building a game room. "So what do you think of this place Spinelli?"

"The Jackal thinks that this is the place. Lots of space, lot of bathrooms which will work if you ever move in because I know how long Maximista takes to get ready to go out, even though you always look beautiful."

"Aww…that's sweet." She leaned over and gave him a kiss before leading him out poolside. They kicked their shoes off and dipped their toes in the water. "Mmm…heated. That's nice."

"Does Maximista like to swim?"

"Oh yeah. When Georgie and I were kids and we'd visit our Grandmother Maria in Texas she had a pool in the backyard. A big pool too. So while Mom and Grandma Maria were talking inside Georgie and I would be in the pool."

"Is that who you're named after. I know that Maxie isn't your real name. It's some big fancy name right?"

"You don't even know your girlfriends name. Haha. That's funny." She couldn't help but chuckle at him. It was so cute the way that he was using finding himself a home as an opportunity to get to know her better. "You don't necessary know my whole name either."

"Is that right Damian Milhouse Spinelli?"

"Oh. Maybe you do know my whole name. Well why don't you fill me in on what my girlfriends name really is?"

"Well your girlfriends name really is Maxie. But my given name is Maria Maximilliana Jones. It's a mouthful." "No wonder you've taken to Maxie."

"Maxie is who I am. It's who I've always been."

"Well I for one am glad. I wouldn't want my Maximista any other way." He stood up and offered her his hand to help her up from the ground. "So are you going to put a bid in on the house?"

"Yeah, I'll find out what the highest is and raise it a couple thousand."

"Are you sure you can afford this place?"

"Let's just say that I could have afforded more if I'd have wanted it. Like I've said Stone Cold pays me very well." She took his hand as they walked back through the house and glanced around it one more time. The place was truly beautiful and she hoped that he would let her help him decorate it as well. She was sure that right from the get go they would want to make it their home, even if she wasn't going to be living there. They got in the car and rode quietly back to Maxie's. When they went back inside she found a note laying on the dining room table. She picked it up and read it aloud. _Maxie Jones, Come to the PCPD as soon as you get home. We have to talk. Mac. _He had never summoned her to the PCPD before so she quickly kissed Spinelli goodbye and headed to find her dad. When she got there he was sitting at his desk reading a file but she could tell by his furrowed brow that if she asked him what he was reading he wouldn't have a clue. "Mac, what's up?"

"If you care about me at all you will tell me that you're not moving in with Spinelli. You haven't even been dating for three months. Do you have to rush things so fast?"

"Mac, I'm not moving in with Spinelli."

"This morning when you left you said that you were going to look at houses."

"For him. Not me. Although if things keep going as well as they have been it could be for me too. But he just wanted my opinion on what house he should buy."

"Oh. How'd it go?"

"He found a place. It's gorgeous Mac. The nicest place I've ever seen. It's only one story but it's fabulous."

"Sounds like you're in love."

"With the house yeah. And I'm really getting there with Spinelli. It was so cute. He was so interested in getting to know me better. It feels real with him." Mac wasn't sure how to respond to that. Maxie had no idea that the hospital had reported to the PCPD the night before that Damian Spinelli had been admitted for treatment for a gunshot wound. It was standard procedure. But Maxie hadn't told him so he was certain that she was keeping it from him because she didn't want to give him any reason to request she not spend time with Spinelli anymore. He knew his daughter better than she thought he did. But he wasn't going to mention it to her since asking her to stay away from Spinelli wasn't going to do any good. She seemed to be very smitten with the young man and she was as headstrong as her mother ever was. All he could do was be aware of what was going on and be there for her no matter what. "Mac, you don't have to worry. I know that Spinelli's world has danger in it. I'm not blind to that. But I'm hoping that at some point he'll decide that what we have is better than the world that he's living in now. Until then I'll just stand by him and wait." Mac was surprised by the devotion his daughter had for this young man and for a moment found himself wishing things would work the way Maxie hoped. Spinelli wasn't a bad kid. He just got pulled into a dangerous life and seemed to feel that because they accepted him it was where he belonged. Mac smiled at Maxie and looked back down at the file on his desk. "Alright Maxie. I'll try not to worry. I can't make any promises though. I am your dad after all and it's a dad jobs to worry."

"I know. I'd feel worse if you didn't worry. You worrying just means you care. But I'm safe. I promise." She smiled and leaned down to hug him before leaving the PCPD.


	18. Chapter 18

Two weeks after Spinelli put the bid in on the house he got word that it was his. The excitement was definitely there but fear also was very present as soon as he got confirmation. He'd lived in the dorms briefly when he came to town and then Evil Al put him up while he was working for him. And then he'd come to live with Stone Cold and he'd been there since. Now the thought of leaving his friend terrified him. He was his mentor and he'd been staying at Casa De Stone Cold for so long that it was hard to think any place else would ever feel like home. There was no doubt in his mind though that now was the time to branch out on his own and truthfully he realized that his relationship with Maxie would suffer if he continued to stay with Jason. They had no privacy and Jason wasn't always the most pleasant person in the world to be around. Maxie deserved more than to be a houseguests houseguest who was more often than not made to feel unwelcome. Now he just had the unpleasant task of telling Stone Cold that he was going to be moving out. He hadn't told him before now because he wasn't sure how long it would take for him to get a house and he didn't want the time while he was looking to be awkward. He wasn't exactly sure how Jason was going to take his news. A large part of him knew that he we was going to be happy for him, especially since it would mean no more interruptions on his time with Elizabeth. But Spinelli hoped that there would be a part of Jason that was as sad about him leaving as he was. He had become like a brother and he wasn't sure how well the relationship would thrive from a distance. "Stone Cold, can you come downstairs for a minute? Your grasshopper has something of the utmost importance to discuss with you."

"Spinelli, I'm kind of in the middle of something. Can it wait?"

"Not really. It is a time sensitive matter."

"Fine. I'll be down in just a minute." Of course Spinelli realized that that probably meant that he would be down in more like ten minutes. When he did finally come downstairs though he could sense this wasn't just a run of a mill, Spinelli blowing something out of situation. He sat down on the couch and waited for his friend to speak. "Stone Cold the Jackal truly appreciates the generosity you have shown to him over the last few years. In a life as lonely and isolated as mine has been true friends are hard to come by and being a person who spends most of my time in the cyber world keeping them can be even harder. People as a whole tend to label someone who isn't built or beautiful by the worlds definition as less than. The Jackal has spent his life being less than. Less than important, less than loved, less than worthy, and less than wanted. Isolation was forced upon me. People believe that my cyber prowess came from some love for the cyber world and after a while that became true. It did not start out that way. The Jackal was a child that wanted to be accepted but found that acceptance was something I was unable to achieve. That ended when I came to live here. And I truly thank you for that. You have given me family when all I had was my granny."

"What's going on?'

"The Jackal feels that it's time for him to move out of the nest and spread his wings. Stone Cold has embarked on a relationship with the Maternal One and the Jackal has begun a relationship with the Fair Maximista. The two women not being able to stand each other and a lack of space makes the move somewhat of a necessity. Of course I'll continue working for you so we'll still see each other but I am confident that now is the time for me to leave your abode."

"When are you going? I mean, not that there's any hurry. It just sounds like you're eager for it to happen."

"I've purchased a home just outside of town. A very nice house that I hope to at some point reside with Maximista. If things continue to go well that is."

"Why didn't you tell me that you were looking for a place? I would have set you up across the hall in Sonny's old penthouse. If it was just needing space that would have worked."

"It pleases the Jackal that you enjoy his proximity but I felt that it was best if I did this on my own. Guards are necessary here and if I'm going to live with Maximista at some point I want it to be somewhere where her law abiding father would feel comfortable visiting. He would never be comfortable visiting Mr. Sir's old abode. And to be honest I think Maximista is being a little protective of me right now because of the shooting. She was very disturbed by it. I don't know why it never occurred to me that she would be so worried by it considering I began to fall in love with her in a cemetery."

"What?"

"We ran into each other at the cemetery visiting wise Georgie and Maxie let me see past all the attitude and anger. She showed me her world, all the people that she had lost, and I finally understood what Maxie was. Wounded. And that's when I began to fall for her. I don't know why it never occurred to me that she would have a less than stellar reaction to the news that I had taken a bullet. I suppose my inexperience at being a boyfriend could play into that in some way."

"Don't worry about it Spinelli. The bullet you took was meant for me and with you moving into your own place that risk will be gone."

"Thank you for being so understanding Stone Cold. The Jackal has cherished his time here but I think both of us realize that it's time for me to move on. Starting tomorrow morning the movers will arrive to take my stuff over to my new house."

"Will you let me give you a moving gift?"

"I suppose if that's what you wish although your having let me live here with you rent free for as long as you have could be considered gift enough. It was your generosity that allowed me to save to purchase my new home."

"I'd still like to give you a gift. I'd like you to allow me to furnish your home. Just send all the bills from whatever you buy to me."

"Stone Cold I am more than capable of paying for my own décor. You and I both know how handsomely you pay me for my cyber skills."

"I know that you can afford to buy it yourself but it's my gift to you. For being so much more than an employee. You've been a great friend, almost like a brother. And you've dealt remarkably with the more demanding side of me that had a tendency to interrupt your more serene times. Just let me do this for you."

"I will accept your kind gift on one condition."

"What's that?"

"That you agree to visit the Jackal at his home on occasion for non-work related matters. I fear that distance may tarnish our friendship and I'd just like to prevent that from happening."

"It's a deal." That was the last that was said about the mood. Both of them went on about their day, Jason working and Spinelli packing. The next morning there was a note on the desk for Spinelli that said, "_Spinelli, I've got out for a ride. I don't know if I'll be back in time to see you off. In case I'm not have fun moving. And I'll see you soon. Jason. " _It was nothing grand but it meant something to Spinelli. He tucked it into his computer bag and headed out to meet the movers.

Four hours later Jason was the last thing on Spinelli's mind. He and Maxie were completely entrenched in the moving process and the only thing that he was thinking about was the feeling of hunger that was starting to burn in the pit of his stomach. "Maximista, do you think it's about time we stop and eat?"

"Do you have any food?"

"No, but I do have my cell phone so we can call and order a pizza."

"Well, there you go. What do you want on it?"

"I'm a pepperoni and extra cheese kind of guy but I can go for anything. What would you like?"

"Actually that's my favorite pizza too. Next to ham and mushroom that is."

"Which would you prefer right now?"

"Pepperoni. Do you have plates?"

"Paper ones. I think they're in a box in the kitchen." With that she took off to find the plates while he called the nearest pizza plate. For the next forty five minutes, until the pizza came, they worked diligently unpacking box after box. After about an hour though he started wondering where there food was. The rumbling in his stomach was only getting louder and it wasn't what he considered an attractive sound. Just as he was about to call the pizza place to find out what was taking so long someone rang the phone bill. When he got to the door he opened it and saw one of the most beautiful women he'd ever met. She had her long black hair pulled back in a ponytail and was wearing a black sports bra and black running pants. In her hands was a large pizza. "I'm Claudia Zacchara. I live down the road. Two iron gates down."

"Damian Spinelli. This iron gate."

"I saw the moving trucks coming in but I didn't know how I w as going to come up with an excuse to come scope out my new neighbor. Looks like the pizza place gave me the excuse I needed." Just then Maxie came up behind him and possessively put her arms around his waist. "And who's this?"

"This is my girlfriend Maxie. Maxie, this is Claudia Zacchara."

"I've heard of your family."

"Yeah, don't believe everything you hear. We're a pretty peaceful bunch. At least until you try to take our territory. Anyways if you need anything we're just a few houses down. Ignore the loon in the wheelchair if you stop by. Here's your pizza."

"How much do I owe you?"

"This ones on me." She didn't wait for a response, instead she just jogged off. Neither Maxie or Spinelli wasted any time watching her go. Instead they dug into the pizza and before they knew it it was gone. "I don't want to do any more tonight Spin. Can't we just watch a couple movies and go to sleep."

"Won't the top cop have a problem with you staying the night here?"

"No. Because my personal life is my personal life. He knows the deal. If he wants me to stick around then he's got to respect my boundaries. And my boundary is being told what to do. I want to stay the night with you and so that's what I'm going to do." Spinelli knew there was no point in arguing with her. She was fiercely protective of her freedom and he certainly didn't mind the opportunity to fall asleep with her in his arms. "Will you at least call him and let him know where you're at so he doesn't worry?"

"That I think I can do." She stood up on her tiptoes and gave him a lingering kiss before moving off to what he had decided was going to be the media room. If it were just her it would take hours for her to figure out how to hook up the TV, TiVo, and the DVD player. Luckily she had a genius boyfriend though and he had it done before she got off the phone with Mac. They inflated the air mattress in the middle of the room, drew the blinds, and settled in to watch the movie. Before they started it though he asked about her conversation with Mac. "Was he okay with you staying here?"

"Surprisingly yes. He told me that he was just thankful that I called and that he'd see me tomorrow."

"Good. Then I have you all to myself."

"I like the sounds of that." He hit play on the movie as he began kissing her and noise filled the room. Neither of them even noticed though. His hands traveled down her sides while hers tangled in his hair. It wasn't more than a few minutes before they were both wanting to feel each others skin. She reached down and tugged his t-shirt up and over his head and stared at his toned body. Most of the time he wore clothes that hid his physique so she sometimes forgot that he was so well toned underneath his clothes. They began kissing again and just as she was about to start removing her own top he stopped her. "Fair Maximista I would love nothing more than to make love to you but I don't think the time is right yet."

"Why?"

"Well for one thing air mattresses are not known to be the most durable of the locations for lovemaking and second I'd like for our first time to be something special and magical. Something more special than making love on an air mattress among a ton of unpacked boxes."

"Yeah, I can kind of see your point. So just watching the movie tonight then? But we'll get to make love soon right?"

"Yeah, I'm strong but I'm not made of steel. And you're a very desirable girl Maximista."

"Well the Jackal is quite desirable as well." She kissed him one more time and they turned their attention back to the movie that was now almost half over.


	19. Chapter 19

When Maxie arrived home the next morning she didn't attempt to hide her arrival at all since she had called Mac the night before. She merely walked in the door and headed up to her bedroom. As she made her way to the stairs though she saw Mac asleep on the couch. Quickly dismissing her plans to go upstairs and get some much needed rest on a real bed she walked over to the couch and shook her sleeping father. "Mac, what are you doing?"

"I was waiting for you to get home. I want to talk."

"You knew I was spending the night at Spinelli's. Why wouldn't you just go up to bed and talk to me when I got home. It doesn't even make sense to put yourself through sleeping on an uncomfortable couch when you know I'm not going to be home until morning."

"I was hoping you would come to your senses and come home. But clearly that didn't happen."

"I told you last night I was staying at Spinelli's. You were glad I called and all that. Remember?"

"Of course I do. But as the night wore on I worried more and more. I know that you and Spinelli don't think that I know that he was shot a few weeks ago but I do. All gunshot wounds treated at the hospital are required to be reported to the PCPD. And last night when I talked to you I was fine with you staying there. Then the hours started passing and I was alone in the house and I started thinking that if one of Jason's enemies were to break into Spinelli's house they could kill you and him, get rid of your bodies and I wouldn't know for at least a day. It was at that point that I started worrying." Maxie looked at her father and tried to be angry. He was butting into her business after all. And he was creating problems where there weren't any. But all she saw was a man who had lost everything. Her mom was gone, chasing after her dad presumably. Georgie was dead and Robin was HIV positive and pregnant. She was all he had left and rather than fall in love with some safe normal kind of guy she'd fallen for Spinelli, who was a computer tech for the mob. She'd be heartless for her to not understand the toll that was bound to take on him. Especially given the violent way that Georgie had died. Now she was fairly certain that he laid in bed at night having nightmares of all the possible ways that she could be taken from him, all violently and all forever. She got that because she did it too. She thought of all the ways death could claim yet another of the people she loved. Every time Mac went to work she wondered if today would be the day that he would take a bullet in the line of duty. Every day she wondered if this was the day that Robin's cocktail would stop working and the disease she'd been fighting against for the past ten years would ravage her body leaving her child motherless. And every time Spinelli left her side she thought of all the ways what he did for a living could cost him and her his life. There were moments when the fear was paralyzing. Those were the moments she called him and waited for the peaceful feeling just his voice had on her. It was a safe feeling, a feeling of being home. Now it was time to get Mac to see that because Spinelli wasn't just another passing fancy in her life. He was going to be her future and she had no doubts about it. Before she could speak though Mac took a deep breath and began speaking himself. "Maxie I try to stay out o your personal life. I don't always succeed but I do try. But as I lay on the couch last night thinking of the possibility I could never see you again because you chose to align yourself wit the mob element of this town I realized something. I can't stop you from doing it but I don't have to stand by and just accept it either. As long as you're living in this house you're not to spend the night at Spinelli's. I can't and won't tell you not to see him but I can't spend every night on this couch praying you'll still come home in the morning. So as long as you live here those are the conditions. He can spend the night here if he has to, on the couch, but you're not to spend the night at his house or with him. It's not safe."

"You didn't even buy that was going to work while you were saying it did you?"

"Not really."

"I understand the sentiment Mac and I appreciate it. But I'm over twenty one and if you don't like me spending the night at my boyfriends house then I'll just move. Because I'm not going to let anyone dictate to me how I'm going to live my life. That being said I had a few things that I wanted to say to you about my relationship with Spinelli." He looked apprehensive and didn't speak but she knew that he was open to whatever it was she needed to say. "Mac, I love him. I know we haven't been together all that long and I know what he does for a living and the kind of people he associates with but I love him. And that's not going to change. Everyone sees so many differences in us but they don't realize how many similarities we have. His parents left him when he was a child to and he had one person in his life that stepped up and took care of him even though she didn't have to. His grandmother. She was to him what you are to me. We both know what it is to look up one day and realize that life has dealt you a bad hand and somehow together we managed to make the best out of the hand we were both dealt. And we're opposites too. It's strange how we can be so similar and so different at the same time but we are. In the ways that I'm flighty and superficial he's not. When I'm looking at the designer on the bag he's looking at the person carrying it trying to see who they are instead of what they're wearing. And in the ways that I'm sensible he's not. I'm jaded and he is so sweetly naïve about love. Life hasn't beaten the romance out of him and when I thought that love was worthless he taught me otherwise. " Tears started to fall down her cheeks as she thought about how to say what she had to say next. "He's brought the Georgie out in me. When Dillon hurt her Georgie didn't shrink back into a black hole never to be loved again. She put her heart back out there even though there was the chance it could get crushed again. That was something I always admired about her and never told her. I wish I had. After I lost Jesse I thought my life was over. And so I jumped into that mess of a relationship with Lucky that I still haven't recovered from in this town. And then there was Coop and I had to go and screw that up with Logan simply because I had to push the boundaries of Coop's love for me to make sure that it was real. I've never done that with Spinelli and I never will because our relationship was formed from the ashes of heartbreak. Grief gave way to friendship which burgeoned into love and I'm so thankful. Because he doesn't just believe that I'm a good person. He's taught me how to believe that I'm a good person and that in turn is making me a better person. I always knew you and Georgie thought I was a good person but lets be honest. You're my family and you're kind of obligated to at least try to think the best of me. Spinelli wasn't and he did it anyways. I want you to like him Mac. I want you to accept him as part of my life because he's not going anywhere. He's a part of who I am now and he always will be. Even if things between us didn't work out, although I fully expect them to, I will always have a place in my heart for him. Let me love him and don't worry for me all the time. Love may not keep me safe but it will keep me happy. I know that I'm all you have left. I won't take any risks I feel are unnecessary. But I'm not going to live in fear either. Because that's not really living." Mac smiled at her but she could see the smile didn't quite meet his eyes. She knew that he would tell her he wanted whatever made her happy, that he was glad that she loved Spinelli and she hoped for the best for them. But they both knew that was gong to be a lie. He wanted her at home. Safe where he could protect her from the dangers of the world. At least he knew where she stood now though and as she walked up the steps to her bedroom for the nap she needed more now than she had when she walked in the door she knew that for now that was enough.


	20. Chapter 20

A day later Maxie was back at Spinelli's helping him unpack when she found a photo album. Her curious nature took over and she opened it and staring back at her was a picture of a bright eyed baby boy whose hair fell haphazardly in his eyes. There was not a doubt in her mind that that mop- haired boy in the picture was her very own Spinelli and he was nestled into the arms of a beautiful red haired woman. Her hair curled down her back in loose waves and on her face she wore the biggest smile as she starred down at her son. Clearly this was a woman who loved her child wholeheartedly. As she dug into the recesses of her mind she realized that Spinelli had never mentioned his mother. Only his grandmother. She looked back at the photograph and wondered what had ever happened to her. She flipped the page and was thrilled to find that the book was filled with page after page of Spinelli at all different ages. She especially loved the Halloween photos of him dressed up as spies and superheroes. She loved seeing him then, because it told her a little bit about how he became who he was now. As she set the photo album back on the table Spinelli walked into the room carrying yet another box from out in the shed. It was amazing how much stuff Spinelli had since he had been living at Jason's all that time. But when he went to his grandmothers in Tennessee a few years earlier Spinelli had taken all of his possessions and put them in a storage locker in Port Charles so his granny could sell the house and move into a senior living facility. With him gone there was no reason for her to keep a house for more than one person open. Maxie turned as he set the box down and smiled at him. "Spinelli, why don't you ever talk about your mother? Or your father for that matter?" Immediately Spinelli stood a little straighter and she saw from a distance that his jaw clenched. A harshness filled his face that she hadn't seen before. And she wasn't comfortable with it now. "I just don't have much to say about them that's all."

"Come on Spinelli. They're your parents. You have to have something to say about them. Why didn't you ever tell me your mom was so beautiful?"

"How do you know what my mother looks like?" She picked the album up again and flipped to the photo of a young Spinelli with the beautiful red-haired woman. "You have a picture of her here in this photo album. That's her right?" As he grabbed it from her hands he said sharply, "Where did you find that?"

"It was in one of the boxes that I was unpacking."

"You couldn't' just set it down? You had to go snooping through it? Can't you ever just mind your own business?"

"It was a photo album, not a pad locked box Spinelli. Why should I think that there's something wrong with looking at a couple pictures at my boyfriends? It's not like you share anything from your past with me. You give me little fragments of information like you were isolated but you never tell me any cute childhood stories. And you never mention your parents. I wasn't trying to snoop. I just was curious."

"Well try asking next time. If I wanted to talk about them I'd talk about them."

"That's not fair. You've asked me a million questions about my past and my relationships with people in my past. My relationship with my mom is fair game, my relationship with Mac. You know everything about every relationship I've had with men. So you get to know all about me but I get to know nothing about you. Because you don't happen to want to share? That's not how this relationship thing works Spinelli." She hadn't realized it but her voice had raised as she spoke and she was now yelling. What surprised her the most though was when Spinelli matched her volume and yelled back. "And you would be the expert on relationships right? Right? I mean God knows you've had enough of them. But you didn't have one quite work yet so I think you've still got some stuff to find out. Like you don't have to know everything about everything going on in your boyfriends life."

"Oh, I wouldn't even go down that road buddy. There is so much about your life that I don't know that if anyone asked me specifics about you all I could say is he's a guy who likes video games. Can't go running around advertising your precious job for Jason because that could get you and me killed. Can't ask you about your precious job with Jason because heaven forbid he allow you to have any kind of real connection with anyone but him. He's had you trailing after him like a puppy dog for years only you clean up his messes. And that's just the work related stuff I don't know. You haven't once mentioned introducing me to your grandmother, and next to Jason she's supposed to be the most important person in your life. I have to drag any and all information about you out of you because you don't tell me anything. You're great at the romance and wooing but I gotta tell you Spin that the part of the relationship where you share and grow closer as a couple by learning about each other you suck at. You're throwing a fit like a two year old because I asked if a woman in a picture with an adorable little kid that is so clearly you was your mother. Do you know how stupid that is? How hard would it have been to say yeah, that's my mom. Huh."

"It was none of your business." At that point she threw her hands up and yelled exasperated "This is ridiculous. This is what I get for dating a guy that's been living with an emotional cripple for two years. You think shutting someone out is just the way things go. And you think that the way to handle someone asking you something you don't want to answer is by asking all mysterious about it and blowing it out of proportion. I don't date Jason because I like to date someone that is emotionally available, which apparently isn't you." She picked up her purse and before he could say anything else she walked out of the house. As she left he watched her go and wondered why he had blown up over a photo of his mother. She was long out of his life and he wondered why being asked a simple question about her, by a woman that he cared very deeply about, upset him so badly. He thought of going after Maxie but he realized how deeply he had hurt her. She had opened up to him so many times and in so many ways. The first time that she asked him to open up to her he had shut her down completely and he wasn't sure that was something she could get past. Maxie was a person who liked to be needed and included in other peoples lives and he had all but told her that she should just mind her business and stay out of his life. Now he was afraid that she just might listen to him.


	21. Chapter 21

It took two days for Spinelli to find the nerve to call Maxie and of course when he finally did he got her voicemail. "This is Maxie. Leave a message at the tone." Before the beep though he lost his nerve and hung up. He didn't want to apologize over the phone. And he knew that he had to apologize. He was still unclear though about what he was going to say. There was no doubt in his mind that it had to be good though because Maxie wasn't a girl that trusted easily and he had shown her that her heart wasn't completely safe in his hands. It wasn't something that she was going to easily come back from. After debating for a few minutes he tried her phone again and before he knew it her voice was on the other end. "Hello."

"Maximista, hi."

"Spinelli."

"Yes. I was hoping that maybe you would come over for lunch. I believe we need to speak."

"I don't know. Do you have anything laying around you don't want me to see? Because I'd hate to walk in the door and accidentally look at something you don't want me to look at."

"Maxie. I don't know what to say. Please just come."

"Fine. I'll be there in an hour." She hung up the phone before he could speak and he realized how cold her voice had been. He had really hurt her by cutting her off from part of himself. At that moment he resolved to tell her everything about his life, about his parents, and about the events that had led to his isolation as a young man. Because if he didn't he risked losing the person that he realized now he loved completely.

An hour later his doorbell wrang and he nearly lept out of his seat to answer it. He'd barely been able to sit still since getting off the phone with her. During the hour before she arrived he had thrown together an antipasto salad and set the table for lunch hoping that after they got everything worked out she still want to stay and eat. And if he was honest with himself he needed something to do with his hands because he was as nervous as he'd been in a long time. He hadn't even been this nervous when they first started dating because it had moved so naturally from friendship to a relationship. He opened the door wide and she walked in. She was dressed casually in a pair of blue jeans and a cardigan sweater over a black undershirt. Her short blonde hair was pulled into a casual ponytail and yet he still thought she looked beyond amazing. "Maximista, you look great."

"It's been two days Spinelli. My appearance wasn't going to go to hell in two days."

"I see you're still mad then."

"What do you expect?"

"Maximista come in and sit down. Like I stated over the phone we need to talk." They walked to the couch and sat down about a cushion apart and they sat in awkward silence. "I thought you wanted to talk. That's what you called me over here for."

"I do. I'm just trying to figure out how to say what I need to say."

"I believe the words you're looking for are I'm sorry. You're a genius. You should be able to figure that out."

"I am sorry but it's more than that. I just don't know where to start. Just give me a minute." She sighed a little and then sat quietly staring down at her shoes. He loved that even though she was angry she still sat there allowing him time to preocess his thoughts. She better than anyone else understood the challenges that he had sometimes interacting with people and she made allowances for it that he wondered if she had ever made for anyone before. "Maximista do you remember that day in the cemetary when you walked me around and kind of introduced me to the people you had lost?"

"Of course I do. That was the beginning of our friendship. I don't see what that has to do with anything though."

"You've got a history of death trailing behind you. It follows you from point A to point B and you can't shake it. No matter how hard you try. I saw that night how it shaped you. How the loss that you experienced in your life molded you into this wounded creature who was constantly on the alert for the next struggle. I could see that night that you were resigned somehow to the fact that you would always be left. And when I was shot I saw it again. I could see that you were fighting your urge to fall back into that permanent fear. But you did it. And that should have been enough for me to trust you but it wasn't. I mean I didn't know that I was shutting you out or not trusting you until you pointed it out. But I guess that's what I did. I'm not used to needing people. I'm used to being needed but giving people an in to my world is hard. I've been in Port Charles for years now and really no one has asked much about where I come from. Lulu didn't really care because it was always kind of more about what I could do for her than about really being friends. And Jason isn't really the caring and sharing type. So I've kept details of my past quiet."

" But I want to know. I asked. I cared. Why punish me because no one else tried to get into your world?"

"Are you really asking me that? You're the queen of pushing people away because you've been hurt. You've always done it in different ways but you've done it. You do it to your mom because she's hurt you. You did it with Logan when you were with Cooper. I wasn't trying to punish you. I'm just not used to being vulnerable. You're used to loss. I'm used to abandonment. I'm used to ridicule. And I'm used to horror. You don't know what it's like coming from where I come from Maxie."

"So tell me. Tell me what it was like for you. Don't just use it as more of an excuse to shut me out."

"Okay. I will. My mom was fifteen when I was born. We lived in small town Tennessee and she was the local unwed mother. I was an outcast in that town from the day I was born. She had been coming home from a church event one night, she was very active in our church, and this guy grabbed her and pulled her into his car. She tried to fight him but he was a lot bigger than her and she was always kind of small for her age so she really didn't stand much of a chance. He raped her and then pushed her out of the car and drove off. When she got home she told my grandmother the whole story and she promptly called my mother a liar and a whore. Mom snuck off to get herself tested for any kind of disease he might have given her but this was back in the eighties and she didn't even know what she was being tested for. One test they didn't give her was a pregnancy test because it was too early and nine months later I was born. My grandmother did manage to not let her disgust with her mother pass onto me. The rest of the town however wasn't as gracious." He looked down at his hands and started reliving the childhood that he had fought so hard to forget. It wasn't really a place that he was comfortable revisiting but if she needed to know the details of his life he would tell her. No matter how hard it was for him. " The women in town couldn't stand that my mother had a child. They thought that she should have put me up for adoption. In reality they thought she should have had an abortion but none of them would have ever admitted that. And these sanctimonious little housewives who didn't care what she said about having been raped ran her name into the mud and taught their children to hate me. I was called bastard for the first eight years of my life. Those children would taunt me about not knowing my father and call my mother a whore to my face. I won't ever forget the kid that told me that because my mother was a faithless slut she would burn in hell for all eternit. That was just the mentality of the people there. When I was eight years old a guy showed up at my doorstep claiming to be my father. I was thrilled because it meant that I could finally tell those people in that town to go to hell because I did have a father. Him showing up though simply reinforced for the people in town that my mom had had a relationship with him, and he was much older than her, and that she had been lying about being raped for sympathy. I think for a while even I believed it." He stopped talking for a second and stretched his neck to the right and then to the left like he was gearing himself up for the next part of the story. She could see in his eyes that she was taking him someplace that he didn't want to go and for an instance she wanted to scream at him to stop. That she was sorry for asking and she wanted to eat and forget that they had ever started this conversation. But it was clear that she had opened pandoras box and it couldn't be closed until everything was out. Until there were no more secrets. But she had to give him the opportunity to stop. "Spinelli, are you sure...?"

"I've come this far. I might as well finish. It'll be nice to have someone know everything." He rubbed his hands over the base of his neck as though he was working the muscles out and took a deep breath before starting again. "For a time there I was hateful to my mother. I believed everything that the people in town said about her because I didnt' understand how he could have known about if it had been rape. And she allowed him to be a part of my life which just made me believe she was lying even more. It never occurred to me until later that she allowed it because of the things that I had gone through in that town without him. I was being hateful to her and she was being completely selfish. Seeing her rapist day after day, watching him play with me, and every minute she was reliving what he did to her when she was fifteen years old. At twenty three years old she was the town pariah and he was the cause but she stayed silent because it was what I needed. Two months after he showed up in town he cornered her in the back of the house. I was in my room at the other end of the house and my grandmother was at a church function. He got her alone and he told her that he'd been keeping an eye on her for the past eight years. That he was surprised she was still single and that he was thankful she had given him a son. She threw him out and told me that night that I couldn't see him anymore. I hated her for it. I thought that she was punishing me for some reason. I went to bed that night hating her. The rest of what I know is just what the police told me. I always slept with a radio on and my room was at the upstairs at the end of the house. The living room was downstairs and she had the TV on. Anything I thought I heard I guess I just assumed was the TV. From what the police said he came back that night after I went to bed and she let him in. They fought and he tried to rape her again. She ran into the kitchen and grabbed a knife to fight him off and stabbed him in the chest. She managed to get away for a minute but he grabbed her leg and dragged her back across the kitchen. This man must have been superhuman because he took the knife out of his chest and he stabbed her four times. Twice in the chest, once in the ribs and once in the throat. Then he collapsed on top of her and they were both dead. I came downstairs sometime later because I'd had a bad dream and I was looking for her. I found them in the kitchen. Her dress was torn and he was sprawled out on top of her. It was the most horrifying thing I've ever seen. I went over and tried to get him off her but I was eight and he was so big." Tears were rolling down his cheeks and once again Maxie wished that she had never asked about that picture. She realized that there was wetness on her cheeks and that she too was crying. Her wonderful loving Spinelli had seen such horror in his life and yet he had turned into such a wonderful man. She didn't know how he'd been able to accomplish that. She'd experienced horror but she had been marked by it and up to this point she'd never seen the markings on Spinelli. But now that he had lain his past bare for her they were as clear to her as though they were physical scars. He wiped the tears off his cheek with the back of his hand and began speaking again. "I called 911 like she taught me to do but even at eight years old I knew what dead looked like. And I knew that's what she was. The cops got there and my grandmother got there at the same time. I guess her church event was over and she came in the house howling over my mom. Bawling my baby, baby. Look what that evil bastard did to my baby. He raped her then and he killed her this time. I love my grandmother but she milked my moms death for all the sympathy it could get her because she had been among those people calling her a whore and a liar for all those years. It wasn't until she was dead that she started believing what my mom had been telling her. They ruled it self defense on my mom's part and murder on my dad's. But it didn't really matter because you can't charge dead people for crimes. I stayed with my grandmother. The state gave her full custody of me because she was my only living relative. And from that moment on I was her whole world. Anything I wanted was mine."

"Things must have gotten better once people knew the truth though right?"

"You'd think. Except it just didn't work that way. Now I was the kid of the couple who killed each other. People said that she got what she deserved because bad things happen to bad people. I never understood that. I didn't understand why they were all so determined to make her out to be a bad person. She'd never done anything to anyone in that town but they wouldn't let up on her even after she died. And they didn't let up on me. They tormented me because my parents killed each other and they asked me for details about the crime scene. Finally my grandmother pulled me out of school and decided to homeschool me. That was the start of my isolated childhood. I was nine years old. She bought a state of the art computer and a video game system for me. I don't know where she found the money for it but she did. I retreated into the world of computer and video games even more. Somewhere along the line I think maybe the line between reality and fantasy got blurred. By the time I got to college people were just kind of not that important anymore. My skills on the computer were untouchable and all those people that tormented me were a thing of the past. I came to Port Charles University because I had to get out of that town. Those people didn't matter to me but I didn't want to stay there with those kids that had spent their whole lives looking down on me. I wasn't here for very long before I hooked up with Evil Al and the rest as they say is history. So when you found that picture it just reminded me of a childhood I would rather forget. The tormenting, my mothers death, my father. I just couldn't handle it. My life here has been so great that I can go for a good amount of time without thinking about it. But when I do it feels like the whole world is caving in on me. I just didn't want to get mired down in that again."

"Spinelli, I don't even know what to say. You sat there and listened to me talk about loss, acting like I was the only one in the world that had experienced it and you knew exactly what I was talking about."

"All pain is unique Maximista. And I've had years to heal from my wounds. Yours are fresh and you're still learning how to living with it. It was enough to be there for you." She moved closer to him on the couch and laced her fingers through his. He looked down at their connected hands and then back at her face. "You know I love you right Maximista? That this is so completely real for me. I wouldn't have told you this if it wasn't. It's not something I revisit often."

"I understand that now. I'm glad you told me. It's beyond amazing that you turned out as wonderful as you did. But now I understand a few things. Like why you cling to the people you love. You loved three people before you came to this town and you lost two fo them. No wonder the ones you have in your life are so important to you."

"I never loved the man that killed my mother. I wanted to love him because he was my father. I wanted it to be like it is in the movies. Where they show up in your life and that connection is just magically there but it wasn't. So many of the things that we shared I realized later were fake. He wasn't there for me. I was a possession no doubt. But mostly he was there for my mom. To torment her with his presence and ultimately to hurt her again. I was of very little consequence to him." That aspect of what he was saying she could understand. Her birth father had left when she was very young to go off and save the world and because of that she felt like she was of little value to him as well. "I love you Spinelli. I hate what happened to you as a child and I hate the things that you saw. But I am so grateful that you ended up here in this place. I'm so grateful that you're in my life." She put her arms around his neck and leaned in to place a kiss on his lips. "So does this mean that I'm forgiven for being a completely jerk the other day?"

"Yeah, you're forgiven. I shouldn't have pushed you. You're allowed to have things in your past that you don't want to talk about and I shouldn't have acted like you had to tell me everything."

"You were right though. A relationship is about learning to grow together and be honest. I was expecting it from you but not giving it." She kissed him again and then curled up next to his side. He completely forgot about the antipasto salad on the table and sat contentedly on the couch with his arms around her. He felt like they had really jumped several hurdles and they could really start to be themselves in their relationship. And he was completely ready to show her all sides of himself.


End file.
